Something to Prove
by mollydolly360
Summary: Taylor Felix is starting grade ten at Canterwood Crest, and she must learn how to cope with the pressure of classes, catty classmates and fellow riders, and prove that she belongs there. This is my very first story, so it would mean a lot if you would read and review please!
1. Chapter 1: A New Start

I yanked my earbuds from me ears, cutting off the music mid-song, and stared out the window of the car. I felt my stomach churn in the way that was all too familiar from the past few weeks since my acceptance into Canterwood Crest Academy. Our car was just rolling through Canterwood's front gates. I looked up and caught my dad's eye in the rearview mirror.

"Nervous, kiddo?' he asked. I tried not to roll my eyes at his calling me "kiddo", and decided to be honest.

"I'm terrified," I said in a small voice. At this, my mom turned in her seat to face me.

"You'll be fine, Taylor. What are you so scared about?" she said soothingly.

"Hmm, let's see, I'm going to boarding school for the first time in my life, where I don't know anybody, I'll be riding in a new barn, and I'll be taking classes that are known across the country for being insanely hard," I said sarcastically. "So there's _nothing_ to be worried about, right?" I pulled the end on my long light brown braid over my shoulder and started tugging on the end. It was a nervous habit I'd picked up before starting highschool last year. But back then, I was going to a normal school, and even though neither of my two best friends were going to West Gardens Collegiate with me, I would at least know people there. This was a whole new level of stress. I still wasn't sure if I was ready for Canterwood.

Dad shook his head. "You'll make friends before too long, you've got Glamour to ride all year, and you'll figure out your classes in no time at all. Besides," he glanced back at me. "You're here on a riding scholarship, so that proves that you're a good enough rider to do just fine here." I chewed this over for a moment. It was true, I was only attending the elite boarding school because I'd been offered a full scholarship. I thought back to when I first heard that I was being considered for the scholarship; I was at a local show with Splash, the little mare I'd been part-boarding for almost two years. We were flying over the jump courses and doing well in the undersaddle classes as well, and I couldn't have been more proud of Splash. A school representative had approached my parents and my coach and told them about the scholarship. When I found out, I'd felt nothing but excitement. I mean, someone was telling me that I was a good enough rider to qualify for a full-ride scholarship! But late that night I thought about it more and began to feel mixed emotions. It was an honour to even be considered, but there wasn't any chance that I would _actually_ get if I did, I would get to go to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country, and that would look really good on a vet school application. Then my thoughts turned darker, and I realized that I would not only have to leave home and all my friends, but I wouldn't be able to take Splash with me. I would be bringing Glamour, the ex-Grand Prix jumper that I'd been working with all summer. That would be amazing, since then I would get to ride her every day, but we still had a _lot_ of issues to work through.

Mom's voice snapped me out of my memories. "We're here," she sang in her sometimes-annoying mom voice. "Here" turned out to be the parking lot outside the stable. I jumped out of the car and took in my surroundings. I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't paid any attention to how gorgeous the campus was. The grass was uber-green and looked like it had just been cut, and the trees that lined the cobblestone walkways were turning the beautiful golds and reds of fall. I barely noticed any of this though, because right in front of me was the most impressive stable yard I'd ever seen. The stable itself was an imacculate white with stark black trim. I caught myself before I did the whole open-mouthed, wide-eyed gawk. Turning around, I saw mom and dad smiling at me.

"Are we just going to leave Glamour in the trailer, then?" dad said jokingly. The trailer that had carried Glamour and the three horses that the Canterwood riding program had bought from my old barn had just pulled up. I jogged over to it to unload Glam. I squinted into the gloom of the trailer and went over to the pretty buckskin at the far end of the four-horse trailer. Putting my hand on Glamour's pale neck, I took a deep breathe. "This is it, girl. The first step of moving into Canterwood, and our new life here." She turned her head and her chocolate brown forelock fell over her eye. I kissed her pink muzzle and prepared to lead her out into the unknown that was to be my new home.


	2. Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home, Right?

I lead Glamour towards the stable and tried to calm my racing pulse. Glamour pricked her golden ears forward and pranced along beside me, curious about her new surroundings. Inside the stable, I almost stopped walking. It was so gorgeous! Large box stalls made with glossy dark wood lined the wide aisle, and beautiful horses hung their heads over the half-doors of their stalls as we went by.

"Here's yours, Taylor," dad said from further down the aisle. He was stopped at a stall that had "Truly Enchanted; aka Glamour" written on a gold nameplate on the door. Beneath Glamour's name was: "Taylor Felix", and I couldn't help notice the lack of the words: "owned by". I mean, sure, I only lease Glamour for now, but I had an agreement with my old coach back home that said if I could get Glamour back into shape, she would be mine. It bothered me that this apparently wasn't recognized by anybody else.

I shook the negative thoughts off while I finished getting Glam settled and all my tack put away in the huge tack room. The tack room itself was immaculate; each rider had their own space for their tack trunk with a rack and hook above it for a saddle and bridle. I grinned as I stood back and admired my gleaming tack, glad the hours of polishing it made it look so professional.

Walking out of the barn, I felt the nerves returning. Now all that was left to do was get my bags up to my dorm, then I'd have to say good-bye to my parents. I faked a smile as I walked towards where they were standing with my things.

"Ready to head to your new dorm?" mom asked. I nodded, not trusting my voice. The three of us started off towards Orchard Hall, where I would be living for the next ten months. The thought filled me with a nameless dread. _Oh, stop being so silly_, I thought. _You're fifteen, for goodness-sakes._ _Time to pull up your socks and get it done_. We reached the three-story building in no time, and I sighed with relief when I saw that we had beaten the rush of everyone moving in. For once, mom was right to make us come so early.

Once inside, we were greeted enthusiastically by a pretty girl with curling brown hair. She introduced herself as Stephanie, the dorm advisor. Stephanie showed us to my new room, all the while going over the various rules of Orchard. My parents listened intently, while I tried not to hyperventilate. When we got to room 205, Stephanie paused. "This will be your room, which you'll share with Carly Hart," she said. I nodded slowly, just wanting to get this over with. Needless to say, meeting the girl who I would be living with all year was giving me some major stress. Stephanie smiled. "I'll give you some time to unpack and settle in, but don't hesitate to come to me if you have any questions." I said that yes, of course I would, and turned to face the door. The shiny dark wood showed my reflection a little, and I could see how worried I looked. _Get a grip, this isn't that big of a deal! _I scolded myself. With what was probably my thousandth deep breathe today, I turned the doorknob, opened the door and stepped inside.

My first feeling was relief; Carly wasn't here. But she was _here_, since there was a pile of luggage on one of the beds. I took in the room as I turned in a slow circle. It was cute, with warm cream coloured walls. We had a small kitchen area off in the corner by the door, and a good-sized bathroom. The mahogany wood floors made the space feel warm. There were two twin beds across from each other, each had a window two steps away. I opened the closet door nearest my and saw that they were larger than I thought they'd be. Bonus.

I dumped my bags on the empty bed and turned to my parents. They both smiled sadly.

"I guess this is where we leave you," dad said sadly. Without speaking, I went over and hugged them both. "I'll miss you guys so much," I said, struggling to keep back tears. We stay like that for another moment.

"Okay, I guess we'd better be going" mom said. She kissed my forehead, then, after I promised to email and text and call whenever possible, they left. Just like that, I was alone.


	3. Chapter 3: A Good Idea

I had just unpacked the last of my light blue luggage when I heard a tentative knock on the door and it opened. A pretty girl with shoulder-length blonde hair poked her head in.

"Taylor?" she asked with a smile spreading across her face.

"That's me. You must be Carly," I replied. She nodded and came to stand next to me. "It's very nice to meet you," I said, feeling more confidant than I thought I would.

"It's great to meet you, too. We didn't get any chance to talk over the summer, but I think we'll get along well enough." She seemed super sweet, and I liked her already. Carly surveyed the pile of my things on my bed and sighed. "I guess I'd better unpack, huh? This could take a while." She walked over to her own mountain of bags and turned to me. "I warn you, I can be a bit of an organizational freak. I'm not particularly neat, but I like everything to be in order," she confessed.

"That's fine," I said with a laugh. "I'm the exact same way." Score, we were already bonding! The two of us spent the next hour chatting and arranging our room.

"That's so cool that you ride," Carly said. "What's your horse like?"

"Well, Glamour's not technically mine. Yet," I said. "It's kinda complicated." The look I got from her made me explain. "It's a long story. But basically, I was part-boarding another horse named Splash when I first saw Glamour. She was a Grand Prix showjumper, but something happened and all of a sudden, she was terrified of jumping, then she even got scared by people in general. Her owner sent her to the barn I was at because she knew that Glamour would be able to retire happily there. I guess the barn owner, my coach, saw some potential left, because she came to me and asked if I wanted to work with Glamour, to help her get over all her fear. The only sort of thing I'd done like that before was work with a head-shy mare last summer, to get her to accept a halter. Anyways, I was out at the barn almost every day, and somehow found enough time to take care of Splash and work with Glam. In two weeks I was able earn Glamour's trust enough that I could halter her, lead her around and even lunge her. After that, my coach said that if I could get Glam back into working order, I could have her. I spent the rest of the summer competing with Splash and re-teaching Glamour how to jump." I took a breathe, suddenly dying for a glass of water. "When I got accepted into Canterwood, my coach and I decided that the level of riding I would be doing was too advanced for Splash, and that I should take Glamour."

Carly looked impressed. "You must be a pretty incredible rider to be able to have achieved so much with a horse that was considered a lost cause!"

I felt myself blush. "Really, I'm not a very good rider. All it took was a bit of patience," I said. By now, we'd put together the entire room. Both of our beds had fresh sheets and comforters and pillows, both windows had curtains hung, pulled back to let the sunlight spill into the room, we each had a colourful rug peeking out from under our beds and another was beneath our midnight blue couch, lime green pod chair, purple beanbag seat, coffee table and TV. Surveying the room, we both grinned at each other. "I think we can live comfortably here, what do you think?" I said.

"I think it's perfect!" Carly exclaimed! "Want to head to the cafeteria for dinner?" I quickly agreed, and we walked over to the caf. We kept talking, getting to know each other more.

"Dude, we have _so_ much in common, it's scary!" I said laughing.

"I know! Like, how perfect is it that we both LOVE Marianas Trench, Adam Lambert, and Hedley, we're both obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and the Big Bang Theory, and we even have the same taste when it comes to clothes!" Carly giggled. "We were _so_ meant to be roomies."

After coming back to our room, Carly and I went about our own night-time routines and went to bed. We both wanted to be as ready as possible for class tomorrow. I couldn't help but feel excited. I had a great roommate, and tomorrow I would find out what kind of cool classes I get to take and what riding would be like here at Canterwood. Maybe this, coming to Canterwood, wasn't such a bad idea after all.


	4. Chapter 4:A Secret To Keep

The blaring of my alarm clock finally got to be too much and I sat up, slapping the "off" button. This was it. The first day of class. I moved with zombie-like numbness as I changed into pale skinny jeans and a light blue shirt with three-quarter-length sleeves and a white tank underneath. Carly stirred in her bed and lifted her head sleepily. She squinted at me in the weak sunlight streaming through my window. "What are you _doing_? It's six-thirty!" she said, stiffling a yawn.

"Sorry, I have a meeting with the riding instuctor at seven, then I figured I could meet you for breakfast before I have to go see the guidance councilor," I said.

"Fine, but I'm getting another half-hour of sleep." Carly curled back up under her covers and I rolled my eyes. I would have to remember to be quieter in the mornings. I grimaced when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. Twenty minutes later my hair was smooth and straight, and my make-up was how it always was; simple and boring. _This is as good as you'll ever look. Let's get going before you're late for your meeting with Mr. Connor! _I stuck my tongue out at my reflection and gathered up my books, pencils, pens, and campus map, stuffing them into my beige messenger bag as I pulled on a pair of caramel-coloured combat boots and my favourite brown leather jacket, and walked out the door.

The early morning air was chilly, making me glad I'd brought a jacket. My boots thudded on the cobblestones of the walkway, seemingly the only noise on campus. As I neared the stable, I started to worry. This meeting was about which riding team I would be placed on. Shudder. I'd never tried out for a riding team before. _Oh, get a grip! It's just a meeting for now! Just discussing your riding experience and what you want to achieve this year. So chill, _I scolded myself. I really needed to learn how to better deal with stress, or by the end of this year I'd be living in a mental hospital.

I found myself standing in front of Glamour's stall. I dropped my bag and leaned on her door. "Morning, Glam. Settling in okay?" I asked. Her head shot up at the sound of my voice, and she regarded me with that steady brown gaze of hers. The goof had hay sticking out of her mouth, and she stood watching me for a moment, ears pricked, before resuming chewing. I was thrilled that she seemed so interested in me. It meant that all my hard work to earn her trust was paying off. I rubbed her white blaze absently. "I'll be back in a bit, okay?" Leaving my book bag on the ground, I started off towards Mr. Connor's office. I'll be completely honest and say that the Canterwood riding instructor kind of scared me. But he was here to help me become a better rider, so I might as well try to get on his good side. When I got to his door I knocked right away, not giving myself the chance to chicken out.

"Come in," came the reply from within. I opened the office door and tried not to stare. Every inch of the walls was covered with ribbinds and medals, and shiny trophies sat on several shelves. Gulping, I introduced myself. "I'm Taylor, Taylor Felix."

"Yes, I've heard quite a bit about you," Mr. Connor said with a smile. "The scholarship girl. You were previously coached by Hayley Ardens, correct?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. I wasn't suprised that this had come up, Hayley was a professional showjumper, and knew almost everyone on the show circuit. "She has been a fantastic coach and has prepared me well for riding at Canterwood."

"I'm sure she has," Mr. Connor said with a kind smile. "Your try-out for the riding teams will be next friday, so you'll have plenty of time to practice." I nodded and got up, about to make my way to the door. "Also," Mr. Connor added. "If you feel you need any help with Glamour, please don't hesitate to ask. I know her story, and I know that it may be a challenge to bring her back up to this level of work. Don't stress yourself out if things don't go completely smoothly."

"I'll definately come to you for help the second I'm in over my head," I said as I left the office. With a sigh, I walked back to Glamour's stall to retrieve my bag. "I really hope nobody else finds out about your 'issues', Glam," I confided. "I don't want them to judge us and what we're capable of." She snorts before going back to her hay. "Love you, girly, I'll see you after class," I said over my shoulder as I make my way to class. I vow to myself that I won't tell anybody else at the stable what has happened with Glamour. The last thing we needed with our fresh start was for people to start assuming things. _It'll be our little secret, _I thought to myself_. Nobody else needs to know._


	5. Chapter 5:Hey, I Just Met You

First off, I'd like to thank the two people that have reviewed my story. Really appreciated that! Sorry I haven't updated in so long. But I have a ton of free time now, so I'll hopefully be able to update every day or so. :)

I slid into the empty seat at the back of the room and tried to be invisible. This was my first class, Advanced English, and I wasn't sure how it would go. Pulling out the purple binder I had chosen for this class, I began to doodle on the first page of blank loose-leaf. I was just shading in the face of the horse I was drawing when out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone come and sit in the seat next to me. I glanced up and tried not to stare. My new desk partner was a guy. A cute guy, too. He had pale skin and shaggy chocolate brown hair that fell into his eyes as he turned to look at me. _Wow_. Forget cute, this guy was downright gorgeous! His blue eyes met my green ones, and he opened his mouth as if to say something. I averted my gaze quickly and felt myself blush. Greaaat, just what I needed; to look like a huge dork.

"Hi," he said, sort of slowly. "I'm Luke. Luke Ramsay. I hope you don't mind if I sit here?" He let the sentence end in a question.

"No, that's fine," I said, finding my voice. "I'm Taylor Felix." I said all this without looking at Luke, afraid I'd scare him away with my awkwardness.

"Cool. You're new here, aren't you?" So he'd noticed the intimidated look on my face, had he? "I don't remember ever seeing you before." I risked a peek at his face and saw him smiling at me. I nodded. "Well," he said, "if you need any help finding any of your classes or anything, don't hesitate to ask." I turned all the way to face him and smiled back.

"Thanks, that'd be great," I said, really meaning it. Just then, our teacher walked in and began the class, putting an end to any more of our conversation.

By the time lunch came around, I was feeling very overwhelmed. I had homework piling up already, and by the looks of the syllabuses that I'd gotten for each of my classes, it was going to be a tough semester. Carly and I sat together at one of the small square tables near the huge bay window in the cafeteria and chatted about our classes.

"Hey, before I forget, tell me about that guy in English," Carly said with a teasing voice.

"Well, he was definitely waaay out of my league. He looks like Logan Lerman, actually," I said thoughtfully. "His name is Luke Ramsay." Carly's eyes lit up. "Do you know him?" I asked.

"Not well, but I had him in a few of my classes last year."

Suddenly feeling suspicious about the look on Carly's face, I asked, "What? You're obviously thinking of something, so spill it!"

"From what I know of him, I think you'd totally be perfect together!" She burst out. This made me laugh.

"We talked for all of two minutes, and you're already trying to set us up?" Geez, I didn't think I seemed _that_ desperate.

"Well, at least I think you'd get along well. And make a cute couple," Carly grinned at me around her turkey sandwich. "You should def get to know him better. He's a great guy."

"A guy like him would never be interested in me," I said glumly, staring into my bowl of beef-and-barley soup. He'd probably have forgotten all about me already. "But enough about me, any guys _you're_ interested in?" It was Carly's turn to blush. She started playing with the ends of her blond ponytail while she launched into a story about how none of the guys she ever met were worth her time. But I couldn't get a certain pair of blue eyes out of my mind.


	6. Chapter 6: What, This Isn't A Rodeo?

The stress of my first day of classes fell away as I walked into the stable. Breathing in the comforting scent of horses, hay, grain and leather, I let myself into Glamour's stall. "Hey, Glam. Ready to go?" She let me slip her brown leather halter over her head and lead her out to the empty crossties outside her stall. I was quiet as I groomed her, not liking to talk when other people were around. When her buckskin coat was soft and shiny, I saddled Glamour, moving more slowly than usual. Glam turned her head as far as the crossties would allow and stared at me. "I know," I sighed. "I can't help feeling intimidated by all the other riders here. They all look like they've been riding their whole life. And I have a whopping four years of experience." I talked softly, speaking just as much to myself as to my horse.

A few minutes later I was mounted and starting to warm up in the large covered outdoor arena. I managed to keep my focus on myself and Glamour, rather than gawk at all the riders milling around me. But unfortunately for me, even all the focus in the world wasn't always enough to deal with Glamour. She walked around with her head held high and her ears swiveling this way and that, paying no attention to me. When I finally got Glamour to put her head down and listen to me, I squeezed lightly with me legs to ask her for a quiet trot. Of course, that's not what I got. Glamour shot forward like she's been bitten, her trot too fast and bouncy. I posted slowly and played with the reins in my hands, trying to get her back under control. After a couple laps of the ring and numerous circles, Glamour finally fell into a balanced, even trot. I risked a glance at the other riders around me, and immediately wanted to gallop out of the arena. Everyone was staring at me! _Probably wondering who let such a novice into the arena_, I thought savagely. Lucky for me, the arena was clearing out. Deciding it was safe to canter, I sat to the trot and asked as softly as I could for Glam to pick up a canter. She obliged with that big, rocking canter of hers. I let myself relax a bit and felt a smile creep onto my face._ Now _this_ is how we should be performing from the beginning_. Apparently I'd spoken too soon. A blond girl on a dark chestnut thoroughbred cantered up to us, edging too close. This did it for Glamour. She tossed her head and started crow-hopping. I had just about gotten Glamour back under control when she leaped into the air in a buck that would have done a rodeo buckaroo proud. By now, all eyes were on me as I struggled with my horse. My face was burning with embarrassment.

I hopped down for Glamour's back after cooling her out and looked her right in the eye. "That wasn't very nice, you know," I scolded. But I couldn't be mad at her. That little show in the arena was just typical behavior for Glam when she got nervous and stressed. I was more mad at myself for not being able to control her little outburst. "Are we really ready for this, girl?" I asked her as we went back to Glamour's stall. "You deserve so much more, don't you? Like a decent rider."

Going back to the tack room, I noticed several riders whispering as I passed, probably talking about the loser rider who couldn't even get her horse to canter without all hell breaking loose. I stared down at my baby blue saddle pad so as to appear oblivious to their whispers.

"Hey, um, you're the new rider here, right?"

I turned to face a pretty brunette, clearly the one who'd been talking since we were the only two in the tack room. "Uh, yeah. I am. I'm Taylor"

"I'm Sasha," the girl said with a smile. "You own that gorgeous buckskin?"

"Not quite. It's sort of a lease-to-own sort of deal." I momentarily worried that this information would label me as a total beginner, but Sasha appeared not to care.

"Well, that was quite the ride you seemed to have out there," Sasha said. I cringed. "What I mean by that is that I was impressed," Sasha amended quickly.

"Oh, thanks," I said with a shaky laugh. "I need to hang a sign on Glamour that says 'Danger; Approach at your own risk'."

"You jump with her? She looks like a jumper"

"Yup. We do hunters, jumpers, and this year we'll be trying cross-country." I caught myself before I spilled Glamour's history to this total stranger. Then I found myself sort of hoping that maybe Sasha wouldn't be a stranger for long. She seemed like someone that I would want as my friend and ally. "You've got your own horse?"

"Charm," Sasha replied. "He's the big chestnut gelding a couple stalls down for yours."

The two of us started talking, and the topics moved from horses and riding to our lives before Canterwood, and than back to horses again. Before we departed to go back to our dorms, Sasha turned to me, looking very serious.

"Just as a warning, there are some riders here who will do anything to be the best. They might try to trash-talk you or intimidate you, but just ignore them. They're not worth your time. Trust me, I'm still getting pushed around sometimes, and I've already been here for a year." She gave me a small smile before turning down the path that led to Winchester Hall. _Yikes_, I thought. _This place is_ intense. I mulled over what Sasha had said, and then I knew for sure that I was doing the right thing about hiding Glamour's past from everyone.


	7. Chapter 7: Tryout Time

Sorry I haven't updated in forever! I'll try to do better! Thank you sooo much for the reviews, you guys are the best! :)

I sat in the mostly-empty classroom, jiggling my foot nervously. It was finally the end of the week, and I'd somehow managed to survive. So far, my favourite classes were art, science, and English, which I was waiting for right now. I felt my phone vibrate from the pocket of my jeans and pulled it out, peering at the screen. A text from Carly.

_So, have you found the nerve to talk to Luke yet?_

I texted back:_ No, and I'm prob not going to! _

Carly had been bugging me all week about getting to know Luke better. I never said so out loud, but I knew that a guy like him would _never_ in a million years be interested in me. I had accepted that, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try to become friends with him. And now Carly had taken it upon herself to "get us together", as she put it.

_Dude, just start by asking a casual question!_

I sighed. The girl meant well, but she had _no_ idea how hard it was for me to talk to boys. And people in general, actually. I was about to text something back when Luke walked into the room and came to sit in his usual spot beside me.

"Hey," he said with a sweet smile. I just blushed and smiled back. Tugging self-consciously on my grey hoodie, I wracked my brain for something to say. Just as I was turning towards him, my elbow caught the edge of my binder and knocked it off the desk. _Smoothe_, I thought. I bent over to pick up the scattered papers, but Luke had beat me to it. "Here," he said with that easy smile of his. My insides melted.

"Thanks," was the only reply that came to mind.

"Did you draw this?" I looked over and saw Luke holding one of my sketches from art class, and had to resist the urge to snatch it back. I wasn't terribly confident about my artwork, and I was scared that he would think it was awful.

"Oh, yeah. I drew that yesterday in art class. It's not my best work, though"

"Well, then I'd love to see what your best is, because this is fantastic!"

"Really? Wow, thanks!" I took the picture back and tried to suppress the giant grin I could feel creeping onto my face. _He liked it! _The drawing in question was of Glamour, just a simple pencil sketch. Nothing fancy, but still, _he actually _liked_ it!_

My day felt much lighter after that, a welcome relief from such a stressful first week. Classes flew by until I found myself back in my room, getting changed to go ride.

This was it, too. My testing day. I'd been practicing non-stop on the flat and over jumps for this, and I was determined to impress Mr. Connor.

I pulled on a pair of black breeches and a grey and purple polo shirt, stepped into my boots, and made my way down to the stable.

All too soon I found myself mounted and staring down at Mr. Connor, awaiting instruction.

"Alright, if you're all warmed up, then let's get started." Mr. Connor ran us through some basic flat-work, and Glamour moved easily beneath me. I almost let myself feel confident, like we maybe had a chance of impressing the Canterwood coach. "Now pick up the left lead canter, canter down the diagonal, and do a flying lead change." My blood froze in my veins. Flying lead changes were fairly low on my practice priority list; we hadn't spent much time on them. But from the little wok I'd done with Glam doing lead changes, I knew they were not pretty. I gathered up the leather reins and took a deep breathe. _Don't blow this_. I asked Glam for the canter. _Don't mess this up._ We cantered in a circle, settling into a collected rythme. _She's doing well, dont ruin it._ We turned down the diagonal of the arena. _Gotta get this_. As we crossed the imaginary "x", I shifted my weight and adjusted my hands, signaling for Glamour to change her canter lead. _Come on, come on come on..._

The moment she felt me move, Glam tensed up. Her stride became choppy and uneven. I put on a tiny bit more pressure with my legs, and Glamour exploded. She did her signature leap in the air, almost tossing me from the saddle. Upon landing, she ducked her head and charged forwads. But yet she had changed her lead. _Why, mare? Why the fireworks display?_ I thought. I glanced over at Mr. Connor and saw him scribbling something on his clipboard. He looked up and said, "That's enough on the flat, I think. Walk for a minute while I get the jumps set."

I slowed Glamour to a leisurely walk and loosened the reins. Eyeing the course that was being set up, I tried to relax. The jumps were fairly low, only about two-foot-nine. There was one combination, but it was a simple two stride to a one stride to a three stride, and all verticals. There were some scary flowerboxes and a fake wall jump, but so long as I had Glamour's trust, they wouldn't be too hard.

"Ready to go?" Mr. Connor asked. I nodded. "Whenever you're ready, then."

After getting Glam's canter settled, I pointed her towards the first jump. It was a plain blue and white vertical, and Glamour soared over it. The next was a skinny brown jump with bright yellow flowers tucked in and arround it. Glamour's ears swivelled back, and I squeezed my legs against her sides gently. She took the jump without hesitation. After that it was a quick five strides to a green and gold oxer. _Three, two, one, up!_ I counted to myself. Next was the combo. I half-halted strongly, knowing Glam needed my support. We got over the first element without difficulty, but had too much momentum towards the second jump, making the one stride too tight. I winced as Glam's legs knocked the top rail, but didn't dwell on it. The next jump came up just as fast, but I was more prepared and Glam was more careful. We continued smoothly through the rest of the course. We were heading for the last jump, the fake wall, when I felt Glam's stride change. She stared at the wall and tried to duck to the side. _No, not now. We've done so well so far, we can't ruin it now. _I urged her forward, but we arrived at the jump at an awkward distance. Glamour gave a huge effort and just barely managed to clear the wall, while I got jumped out of the tack and almost fell. My face was burning, I knew that we looked horrible over that jump, and it was my fault for not getting to a better take-off point. But I was proud of Glam. I gave her neck a rub, "Good girl, you were great!" I said under my breathe.

"Thank you, Taylor, that was a lovely ride. I will let you know which team you will be placed on by Sunday evening." With that, Mr. Connor left the arena. I felt my stomach flip over as I realized how big this was, being placed on one of the riding teams. A million thoughts raced through my head as I cooled Glamour out, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to have a moment of peace until I heard Mr. Connor's decision.


	8. Chapter 8: Confession Time

"I still don't get it." Sasha said, guiding Charm around a rock in the trail. We had taken the horses out for a trail ride, and were discussing why Mr. Connor was making me wait to hear my team placement. "I mean, he told me which team I'd be on right after I tested." She glanced at me from under her helmet. "Don't stress it, though. I'm sure he just wants to pick the right team for you and Glamour."

"Thanks, Sash. I know whatever team I get, it'll be the right one for both of us," I said, leaning down to rub Glamour's shoulder. Truth be told, I was just worried about why this was taking so long. I mean, if Mr. Connor didn't think I was good enough to ride at Canterwood, he could just say so!

"Hey, I can tell you're over-thinking. Stop it." I grinned. Sasha was such a good friend. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so worried about all of this?" Sasha asked softly.

"Well," I sighed, "it's kind of a long story." I looked Sasha in the eyes and decided to be honest. "I have major confidence issues. I'm always really hard on myself, and according to some people, I underestimate my abilities. I always stress about how people think of me." I take a deep breathe.

"Glamour used to be a Grand Prix showjumper. She was amazing! But one day, in the middle of a competition, something went wrong. Glamour and her rider were barreling towards a jump, but the distance wasn't there. Her rider didn't try to fix it, only pushed Glam faster. They took off awkwardly and they crashed into the jump. And I do mean crashed. Three poles broke and the standards fell on top of Glamour. She spooked and tried to run away, but she was trapped under all the poles and stuff. It was horrible.

"After that, Glamour lost her trust in people and got really scared of anything that involved jumping. I guess the accident was more traumatic for her than it should have been. Anyway, her owner wanted to retire her, and my barn bought her, so that she could be a happy pasture horse. Only problem was she wasn't able to settle down and be put out to pasture permanently. So my coach asked me if I wanted to try and work with Glam a little, just to help her quiet down a bit. After about a week and a half, it became obvious that whatever I was doing was working. That was when my coach proposed a deal: if I could get Glamour back into working condition, I could have her. It would be perfect, since I was looking for a new horse to take to Canterwood anyway.

"I spent my whole summer working with Glamour, gaining her trust and building her confidence. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I'm so incredibly proud of her! It's just... me. I'm worried that I'm not good enough. That I won't be able to handle a horse like Glamour... A lot of people back home doubt me. Friends, family, former coaches. I have to show them that I can do this. I have to prove myself," I said the last sentence softly. I turned to Sasha, suddenly embarassed. "I'm sorry, that was TMI, wasn't it?"

"Omg, don't even worry! I'm glad that you told me what was going on. Really! And just for the record, I think you and Glam have so much potential, you're totally great together."

"Really? Wow, thanks!" I beamed. "But... Could you please not tell anyone else?"

"Your secret is safe with me." Sasha mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. We giggled as we made our way back to the stable. It felt so great to finally talk to someone.

...

I draped my hunter green saddle pad over my saddle and walked out of the tack room. Just as I was turning the corner to go to Glamour's stall, I head someone call my name. Whirling around, I saw Mr. Connor coming towards me. Ohhh, boy.

"Can I see you in my office, please?" he asked. I nodded and started towards Mr. Connor's office. Inside, I slid into one of the chairs in front of the huge desk in the center of the room. "I won't drag this on, I've decided on what riding team you will be on," Mr. Connor said. I nodded mutely. Mr. Connor leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. "This decision look a lot of thought. You are clearly ready for the intermediate team, and before the accident, Glamour would have obviously been fit for the advanced team. However, given the recent circumstances, she is probably closer to the beginner level." I held my breathe. "So, I have decided to put you on... the intermediate team. Congratulations." Mr. Conner smiled broadly at me.

"Ohmigosh, thank you so much!" I blurted.

"I hope that you and Glamour will continue to grow together and learn from eachother. If you have any questions or concerns, please come to me immediately. I hope to see you at the first team practice Monday morning."

"Thank you, sir, I promise that I'll practice hard!" I said as I left the room.

I saw Sasha down the aisle in Charm's stall. Not caring who saw me, I ran over, squeeling. "I made it! The intermediate team! I made it I made it I made it!"

"OMG Taylor! I knew you would make it!" Sasha hugged me. "You know what we should do? Celabrate at the Sweet Shoope!"

"You read my mind," I said with a smile. We headed over to the on-campus cafe/bakery, giggling and gossiping. I was so excited about making the riding team, and it felt good to have a friend like Sasha.


	9. Chapter 9: Morning Lesson

I woke up bright and early on Monday morning. Which was a first. But I was _sooo_ excited about my first lesson! I made myself a mug of tea to calm myself as I dressed in beige breeches and a hunter green long sleeved shirt. I wrapped a soft brown scarf around my neck to ward off the morning chill and pulled on my polished black tall boots. Checking to make sure I hadn't woken Carly, I tiptoed out of the room, pulling my wavy light brown hair back into a ponytail.

The stable was quiet at this hour, only a handful of students milling around, preparing for their morning lessons. I smiled and said good morning to Nichole Allen, one of the other intermediate riders, as we passed in the tack room. Carrying my tack in one arm and my grooming kit in the other, I hurried over to Glamour's stall.

"Morning, gorgeous," I said quietly. Glamour blinked sleepily and let me lead her to the empty cross-ties outside her stall. "Let's get you nice and shiny. We've got to make a good impression, kay? That means being on your _best behavior_. Got it?" Glam gave me an innocent look. Laughing quietly to myself, I proceeded to sweep the dandy brush over her pale gold coat. After detangling her dark brown tail and picking her hooves, I started to saddle her. I let the familiar routine of tacking up distract me, not wanting to get nervous. I smoothed the green saddle pad onto Glam's back, grinning at how we matched. Next, I hoisted the heavy English saddle up and fastened the girth, proud of how the leather gleamed. A few minutes later and Glamour had on her leg wraps and bridle, I had my helmet on, and we were walking towards the indoor arena.

I pulled on my super soft brown leather gloves and mounted. Apparently I was early, because nobody else was in the arena. I took advantage of the space and started warming up. One by one, riders trickled in. My riding class consisted of four other riders; Nichole, and three boys I didn't know. We rode in silence as we waited for Mr. Connor to arrive.

...

"Now drop your stirrups and sit the trot." Mr. Connor's voice echoed around the arena. We'd been doing flatwork for about half an hour, and I thought my legs might fall off. "Troy, keep Gavin's head down. Taylor, sit deeper in the saddle." I shoved my seat bones deeper into the saddle and focused on not bouncing so much. "Good, everyone. Now take back your stirrups and canter," Mr. Connor instructed. Glamour listened to Mr. Connor and started to canter before I was able to get my stirrups back. I fought with her for a couple of strides before she came back to the trot. Sliding my feet back into the stirrups, I forced Glamour to keep trotting while everybody else cantered. When I finally gave her the signal to canter, Glam shot forward. I felt myself blush a deep red, and played with the reins in my hands to get Glamour's attention back on me. Mr. Connor watched my struggle, but said nothing. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing_… Focus!_ I yelled at myself. Losing focus was my worst habit and was Glam's favourite excuse to act up. Lucky for me, Glamour felt like cooperating. The rest of the lesson went smoothly.

"I'm so glad that you made the team," Nichole said to me as we cooled the horses out.

"Thanks, I'm super relieved to have the testing process over." I liked Nichole, she was uber sweet.

"Want to trail ride after class sometime?" she asked.

"Totally!" We exchanged phone numbers, and I felt a warm feeling spread through my stomach. I had made another friend! Quite the accomplishment for someone as shy and socially awkward as me. Maybe I would find my place at Canterwood after all.

…

**I know this is kind of dull and boring, but things will be picking up soon! I promise!**


	10. Chapter 10: Here's My Number

"Ugh, the homework load here is _insane_!" I groaned for the hundredth time.

"I know, right? I'm still not used to it!" Carly and I were back in our room after class, about to head over to the library to do work.

"I'll do half my homework now, but then I have to go to the stable. I can finish the rest after dinner," I reasoned. I sorted through the assignments I had, choosing which ones to bring with me.

We walked quickly to the library, eager to get started. Canterwood's library was _gorgeous_. The polished dark wood tables each had cute little lamps on them, and the endless shelves were filled with more books than I'd ever seen in one place. Carly and I set ourselves up in a quiet corner and got to work.

I was in the middle of conjugating French verbs when I saw someone come up to our table. Glancing up, I almost fell out of my chair. Luke stood there, looking uncomfortable. I smiled and looked at him expectantly.

"Hey, Taylor. Sorry to bother you, but I, uh, saw you working here and was wondering if maybe you could give me a hand with the assignment we got for English class? I'm a little stuck," he said with a frown. Carly stared at me, eyes wide.

"Oh, uh, sure! What do you need help with?" Luke slid into the empty chair beside me and pulled out the English homework. He explained where he was stuck and I flipped through my notes, looking for the same question. Within five minutes, I had explained the question to Luke and he was nodding in understanding.

"Wow, you made that sound so simple," he said. "Thanks!"

"No problem," I replied. Feeling brave, I decided to keep the conversation going. "If you ever need any more help with English, don't hesitate to ask me. It's my favourite subject."

"Cool." He smiled warmly at me. Ohmigosh! Major butterflies! He ripped a small piece of paper out of his binder and scribbled something down on it. "My cell number, in case, you know, you want to text me or anything."

"Awesome. Then here," I wrote my own number onto a blue sticky note, "is mine." He took it and our fingers brushed. _Breathe iiiin, and ouuut, don't start hyperventilating._

Luke stood up and turned to leave. "Guess I'll see you around?"

"Yup. For sure. See you in class tomorrow." I stopped myself before I could start rambling like an idiot. Then I noticed Carly. She was still staring at me, mouth open, like a dork. I threw a crumpled piece of paper at her. "Don't say _anything_." She closed her mouth and grinned at me, clearly making an effort not to burst out with "I told you so!".

"I totally saw sparks, Tay," she said after a moment. "He so likes you, and I bet he's _dying_ to ask you out," she teased, knowing that would make me blush.

"Well," I said, getting up from my chair. "He has my number, so we'll see what happens!" I said playfully. I left Carly doing homework and headed back to our room before going to the stable. Not that I would admit it, but I _might_ have been paying extra attention to my phone the entire way to Orchard. Just in case a certain someone decided to text.

...

The heels of my Ariat Windmere boots thudded loudly on the cold ground as I walked to the stable. I wouldn't be riding, so I'd just worn jeans. The wind pulled at the ends of my long hair and stirred up the yellow leaves that dotted the sidewalk.

Glamour was turned out, so I wandered in the direction of her paddock. When I got closer, I noticed someone standing by the fence. A blond someone. Heather Fox, Sasha had warned me, could be pretty intimidating. I braced myself for whatever was coming my way and closed the distance between us.

Heather's stare was all ice. I supressed a shiver. "So," she said. "You're the new intermediate rider." She looked me up and down and smirked. "I give you a week, tops."

"Uhhm, excuse me?"

"Before you realize that you'll never make it here." Ooh, ouch. Sasha was right about her being mean. "I mean, face it. You're a total novice who has more horse than she can handle. I figure Mr. Connor put you on the intermediate team just for a laugh." I opened my mouth and was about to defend myself when Heather turned and walked away.

"That was rude and uncalled for," I muttered to Glamour, who had come to stand with her head over the fence. I rubbed her blaze thoughtfully before clipping my light blue lead line to her halter and taking her inside.

I took my time grooming Glamour, going over Heather's words in my head. She wasn't completely wrong, I suppose. I _was still_ a fairly green rider, especially compared to everyone else. And I _did_ have a little more horse than I could handle some days. But she was wrong about me not making it at Canterwood. I would fight to stay here as hard as I could.

Glam jolted me out of my thoughts by shaking her head and stamping her hoof. I laughed. "Had enough of the cross-ties?" I finished grooming and unclipped her, putting her back into her stall. Glamour went imediately to her hay and started munching. I rested my arms on the half door of her stall and propped my chin on my hands. "_Truly Enchanted_," I whispered, loving the way Glamour's show name felt to say. She stuck her nose in my direction and snorted, and I smiled at her. "You're silly, you know that?" She flicked her ears towards me, hanging onto my every word. "Silly, but mine." I couldn't get over that idea. Glamour was actually _mine_.

I left the stable reluctantly, but feeling lighter than I had since getting to Canterwood.


	11. Chapter 11: Making Plans? Yes Please!

My eyes fluttered closed, when I felt a sharp jab on the back of my hand. "Ouch! What the...?" said, rubbing my hand. Carly sat across from me, a fork poised in her hand and a stern look on her face.

"You were about to fall alseep. Your welcome for keeping you awake." Okay, so maybe I was a little sleepy still. I stared down at my cereal and forced myself to eat some. "How late were you up, anyway?" Carly asked, concerned.

"I don't know; two, maybe three in the morning." I stifled a yawn. Giving up on my breakfast, I pulled a steaming mug of coffee towards me. "But I got all my homework finished, so it was worth it." Across the caf, I noticed Heather glaring at me. Weird. What _was_ that girl's problem? "I have a feeling today's gonna be a looong day."

Carly nodded in agreement. "So, because you don't seem to be fully functioning this morning, what's your plan for when you see Luke in Advanced English? I don't want you to embarrass yourself," she teased.

I gave her a mocking smirk. "Your concern is so touching. But honestly? I have _no_ clue what to say to Luke. Do I wait for him to say something first? Or do I start the conversation?"

"I think you should just walk in there and do whatever you'd normally do. Change tends to throw guys off," Carly advised.

"Thanks, I think I'll head to class now. See you at lunch?"

"Def. I'm going to need details of English class!"

I smoothed on more of my fave lipgloss, Country Peach by Liplicious, and tried to look awake. I'm sure I looked like I'd just rolled out of bed. I wore dark blue skinny jeans, black hightop sneakers, and a plum coloured hoodie, and my hair was pulled up in a messy bun. Passing a window, I snuck a glance at my reflection. Black eyeliner made my green eyes stand out in my pale face, but I thankfully didn't look _too_ tired. I turned my attention back to where I was walking, only to find that I was about to smack into someone.

"Ohmigosh, I'm so sorr..." I collided with the person in front of me, and let my apology trail off as I saw who it was. Surprise, surprise, it was Luke. _Great, just great_. I never stopped embarrassing myself in front of him! I bit my lip and averted my gaze. "Sorry. A little out of it this morning."

"No problem," Luke said. "...Wanna walk the rest of the way to English together?" He looked at me hopefully, expectantly.

"Sure! I'd love to." I fell in step beside him and scrambled madly for something to say. "Such a gorgeous morning," I said lamely. Beside me, Luke smiled. "I mean, like, this is the perfect weather for riding outside."

"That's right, you're a rider. Do you have lessons every day?"

"Yup. Alternating morning and afternoon lessons."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work."

"It is. But it's totally worth the time and effort to ride for Canterwood's intermediate team." Finally! A guy who didn't think riding was just an easy little hobby!

"That's so cool. I might just have to watch one of your lessons some time." ! OMG!

"Yeah, that'd be great," I said as calmly and casually as I could. We had reached our class already, which unfortunately put an end to our conversation. For now. It took all my willpower to concentrate on the lesson, and not on the boy sitting next to me.

...

"You. Will. Not. Believe. This!" I squeeled as I sat down with Carly for lunch.

"What?! Tell me!" Carly swiped my tray away from me. "No eating until you tell me what happened," she said, only half joking.

"Okay, well, I ran into Luke while I was on my way to English. And I mean literally _ran into him_. It was so embarrassing! But then we got talking, and he asked me about my riding! Like, he was _actually_ interested! Then he said that he wanted to see one of my lessons!"

"Omg, Taylor! That's so exciting! See, he likes you. No doubt about it now." Carly pushed my lunch tray back towards me. "Now it's my turn." She smiled slyly. "Let's just say I had _quite_ the morning."

"Spill it. Now," I demanded. For the rest of our lunch period, I listened to Carly give me a play-by-play of her morning. We laughed over the stupidest details until our sides were sore, then had to run to make sure we weren't late for our next classes. After that, I didn't have a spare moment to think about anything besides school work. Which was probably a good thing, in the end. I had more than enough on my mind these days.


	12. Chapter 12: Lesson Date?

The rest of the week flew by, and before I knew it, Friday had arrived. My homework was piling up, but that didn't matter when I had a riding lesson to get ready for! I dressed in dark grey breeches and a cozy light pink hoodie. Once my hair was neatly French braided, I threw on my black windbreaker (aka barn jacket) and my tall boots, and made my way to the stable.

I felt my Blackberry vibrate from my jacket pocket and pulled it out.

OMG. It was Luke.

_Hey Taylor. :) U said u have a riding lesson today, and I was wondering if u'd mind me watching?_

I typed back as fast as I could.

_That'd totally be cool! Do u know how to get to the stable?_

_Think so. What time? _Instant reply! I tried not to do a little dance in the middle of the sidewalk.

_In about 30 mins. I'm at the stable already._

After a moment came Luke's reply. _Great, I'll c u there. :)_

I practically skipped down the stable aisle. This was going better than I'd thought it would! I groomed Glamour in her stall, not wanting to be out in the craziness that the stable turned into after classes let out. Every few minutes, I'd stick my head out of the stall and scan the aisle for Luke. No sign of him yet.

Finally I saw him, wandering through the stable, looking kind of lost. I stepped out of Glam's stall and waved to him. "Hey, you made it!" I said as he got closer. He looked incredibly cute in black jeans, sneakers, and a light blue shirt under a leather jacket.

"Yeah, sorry it took so long. I got a bit lost." Luke peered around me. "Is this your horse?" he asked.

"Uh-huh. This is Glamour. She's an eleven year-old Hanoverian mare."

Luke smiled adorably at me. "I have no idea what that means. But she's beautiful!" Glam arced her neck and shook our her mane, understanding the compliment. Luke and I laughed.

"She's something special, alright." We chatted about school stuff while I tacked up, and I felt myself loosen up around him. "Why don't you go find somewhere to sit by the outdoor arena? I'll be out in just a minute," I said as I grabbed Glamour's bridle. Luke nodded, and left in the direction I'd pointed in.

I was suddenly more nervous than I'd ever been for a lesson.

...

When I reached the outdoor ring we were practicing in, I saw that I was the last one to arrive. Luke was sitting on the bleachers just outside the arena, looking a little chilly.

Settling myself in the saddle, I started to warm up. Glamour was going well beneath me; keeping an even and steady rythme as we trotted around. She eyed the stack of poles and standards by the bleachers, and her ears flicked around. I did a soft half-halt to get her attention back on me. We cantered around the arena sedately, one of Glamour's dark tipped, golden ears swivelled back towards me the whole time, and I wondered inwardly how long this would last. Glam was doing so well, I'd hate for her to suddenly lose her composure.

Mr. Connor walked into the ring, clipboard in hand, and motioned us to come into the middle.

"If you're all warmed up, then let's get right into it. We'll be doing a gymnastic line; to practice balance, fitting the right strides in, and to build up you're horses' agility." As he spoke, Mike and Doug, Canterwood's two main grooms, started setting up the jumps. "The jumps won't be very big, only about two-foot-six, just so that you focus more on the spacing and strides instead of the jump heights. The gymnastic will be a one stride, to a two stride, to a three stride, to a four. You will have the opportunity to jump it several times both ways." Mr. Connor looked at us all. "Can anybody tell me what will be different about the different directions?" I raised my hand. "Taylor?" Mr. Connor prompted.

"Going from the smaller striding up requires the horse to extend their stride, while going the other way forces them to collect themselves more."

"Yes, good. This exercise will help you learn when and where to ask for collection or extention, and will help you see distances," Mr. Connor said. "Andy, you may go first. Then Nichole, Taylor, Ben, and Troy."

I watched as Andy and Nichole each took their horses through the gymnastic. Andy had trouble extending his horse's canter for the four stride, and Nichole's horse, Wish, took down a rail on the third jump. Rubbing Glamour's neck, I whispered, "Our turn. Ready?" Glam snorted and nodded her head. I giggled. "Good girl."

I circled Glamour twice before pointing her at the grid. I kept a firm pressure on the reins and squeezed gently with my calves. _Four, three, two, one, up! _Glamour jumped the first vertical easily. I tightened my gloved hands on the reins and one stride later, we launched into the air again. Glamour jumped this jump bigger, and I struggled to fit the next two strides in between the second and third jumps. It was tight, but Glamour made it over the jump without touching the poles. I counted down the strides again. _Three, two, one, up!_ On landing, I let Glamour out a bit. She extended her stride just enough to fit in the four, and we finished the gymnastic smoothly.

I cheered silently in my head, and risked a glance at Luke. He was sitting on the edge of the bench, looking impressed. _Yes! _I rode back to Mr. Connor.

"That was lovely, Taylor. You knew just when to adjust your stride. It was a little tight in the two stride, but you recovered quickly," he commented. I waited until it was my turn again, and then prepared to take the grid the other way. Going this way, with the number of strides decreasing with each jump, would be trickier for me and Glam.

I let Glamour approach the jump with a little more canter, since the first jump was an oxer. _Four, three, two, one, up! _Then, _three, two, one, up! _Right away I sat deep in the saddle and asked Glam to shorten her stride. She tossed her head but did as I asked, fitting the two strides nicely. The second she started that last stride in between the last two jumps, I knew we were going to be to close to the fence. I signaled for Glam to take off, and cringed when I heard her front hooves bang against the pole. The red and white wooden rail tumbled to the ground.

I slowed Glamour back to the walk and gave her a pat, pleased with how she'd done despite the rail. "The knocked rail was my fualt, Mr. Connor," I explained.

"And what do you think caused it?" he asked.

"If I had collected Glamou a bit better in the two stride, we wouldn't have had such a short distance between the last two jumps."

Mr. Connor nodded and said, "I agree, but other than that, it was a good ride. I'm pleased with how you and Glamour are doing on the intermediate team." I beamed down at him. Compliments like that didn't come very often.

After Ben and Troy rode again, Mr. Connor dismissed us. I rode over to the rail where Luke was watching. "So, what do you think? Any sudden urge to get on a horse?" I asked playfully.

"I don't know how you do it," he said. "That looks pretty tricky and more than a little scary!"

I laughed. "It's great. Definately the most amazing feeling in the world, connecting with a horse like this." I dismounted and walked Glam out of the arena.

"I've got to run, but it was great talking with you and watching you ride! See you later?" Luke asked.

"Definately. See ya!" As soon as he was out of sight, I slumped against Glamour's neck, sighing. I was really falling head over heels for him.


	13. Chapter 13: Doing Okay

It was Saturday afternoon, and Carly and I were holed up in our room doing homework. I finished solving a math problem and shoved away from my desk, letting my blue desk chair roll across the floor. Stretching my hands towards the ceiling I announced, "I need a break."

"Same," Carly said. "Wanna get something from the Sweet Shoppe? We totally deserve cookies and hot chocolate after how hard we've been working."

"You read my mind." We put on our jackets and boots and walked down Orchard Hall's hallway. The brisk fall air greeted us as we made our way to the Sweet Shoppe.

"So... Have you heard from Luke since yesterday?" Carly asked.

"No, but I wasn't expecting to." I sighed. "This whole boy thing is so complicated!" I shivered as a cold breeze cut through my black leggings.

We entered the Sweet Shoppe and got in line to order, staring at the cute chalkboard that served as a menu. Everything looked and sounded so good! Carly and I were two people away from the counter when Carly suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Oh, gosh. He's here! Hide me!" she exclaimed.

"What? Who?" I asked, looking around.

"The creepy guy from my math class!" Carly hissed. "He's been stalking me all week." She ducked her head, obviously trying to hide behind me.

"Do you want to wait outside while I order? I know how scary creepy stalkers can be." Did I ever. There had been two guys at my old school that had stalked me all year. I shuddered at the memory.

"No, then he'll see me outside and come talk to me!" Carly squeaked. "Let's just pray that he hasn't seen me yet." We stepped up to the counter and placed our orders; Carly got the mint hot chocolate and I got the salted caramel latte, plus some sugar cookies for us to share. As soon as we were given our drinks and cookies, we bolted for the door.

"That was a close one," Carly said. She tucked a piece of blond hair behind her ear and glanced over her shoulder. "I just hope he doesn't see me and follow us back to the dorm!"

"Don't worry," I said, sipping my delicious latte. "If he want's to get to you, he'll have to go through me first. And I bite," I said with a grin.

Carly laughed. "And _that's_ why you're my best friend."

...

Carly and I sat across from each other on our dark blue couch, quizing eachother on different subjects. I asked Carly another history question, which she got right, then she asked me a question for my French class. "How would you say 'I am lost, please help me'?" Carly asked.

I thought for a moment, tugging unconciously on my oversize long sleeve pale green off-the-shoulder shirt. "Je suis perdu, aidez-moi s'il vous plait." I rubbed my eyes. "I think that's all the studying I can do."

"Agreed," Carly said.

Just then, I heard my phone ring from across the room. I got up and picked it up from my bed.

"Hi, dad."

"Hey, Taylor. Just thought I'd call to see how you're doing," dad said.

"I'm doing great, actually. Classes are challenging, but I'm keeping up. And riding lessons are great. The intermediate team is awesome." I sat cross-legged on my bed.

"That's good. Now, because you mom wants to know, are you making friends?" I smiled. Dad thought my mom was a little too protective and intrusive sometimes. We used to joke about it all the time.

"I am, my roommate is totally awesome and I've made lots of friends at the stable." Carly smilled a goofy smile at me and I laughed.

"I'm glad you're doing okay at Canterwood," dad said warmly. "We miss you back home, Tay. I won't keep you any longer, but it was good to talk to you again. Love you!"

"Love you too," I smiled into the phone. I hung up and sighed, falling back so that I was sprawled on my bed. It was little things like this that made me feel homesick all over again.


	14. Chapter 14: Train-Wreck

**Thank you to a certain someone for all the reviews! :D I promise that there is some major drama on the way. ;)**

…

Glamour practically dragged me down the stable aisle as I led her out of her stall to a pair of cross-ties.

"Easy, girl. Geez. Calm down," I said, rubbing Glamour's neck. I groomed her until she was shiny, then grabbed my tack. I draped my dark purple saddle pad with silver trim onto Glam's back. Then, I hoisted the heavy saddle up and plopped it gently on top. Glamour's ears pinned back as I tightened the girth.

"Oh, don't be like that," I scolded. Bridling wasn't much better. Glam clenched her teeth together and refused to take the bit. It took two fingers to pry her mouth open. "So, it's going to be one of _those_ days, is it?" Glamour just started sullenly ahead. "Fine, be like that." I grabbed my helmet and buckled it on as I led Glamour towards the indoor arena.

I was the first one in the arena, which was probably a good thing. Hopefully I'd be able to work out the kinks with Glamour before anybody else got here.

I mounted, and immediately knew that it was going to be a rough lesson. Glam's walk was choppy, and she carried her head high enough that she probably looked like a giraffe. I was suddenly grateful that I'd switched out Glam's full-cheek snaffle bit for a Pelham. There's no way I'd be able to get Glamour to listen with the softer bit.

I adjusted the two sets of reins in my hands and asked Glamour to trot. She responded with a bouncy, lurching step, that didn't even out until we'd made five laps of the arena. I halted and dismounted, checking Glam's legs and back for signs of injury, then checked her tack to make sure nothing was wrong with it. Finding nothing, I got back on and resumed our warm-up.

By the time Mr. Connor came in, Glam was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and my whole body ached. I considered asking to be excused from the lesson. _Suck it up, buttercup_, I thought to myself. As it was, Mr. Connor noticed how strung out Glamour seemed and gave me a questioning look.

"Had a bit of a tough warm-up," I explained. "But we're ready now."

Mr. Connor nodded. "Alright then, today we will be focusing on dressage." Oh, joy. "Space yourselves out and start with a sitting trot."

I got Glamour trotting, and tried my best not to bounce too much in the saddle. I constantly played with the reins, pulling more on the snaffle rein, to keep Glamour's head down and chin tucked. She shook her head and mouthed the bit. When she lowered her head, I softened my hands. Only for her to lift her head right back up, forcing me to start over again.

"Taylor, more leg. Encourage Glamour to stretch more." I tried to do as Mr. Connor instructed, without much success. "Now everybody, collect the trot," Mr. Connor said. I worked to get Glamour to shorten her stride, while keeping the same impulsion. She complied grudgingly.

I felt sweat drip down the small of my back. I wasn't sure what hurt more; my legs from gripping the saddle, or my arms from fighting with Glamour's mouth.

"Make a ten-meter circle, then canter." Mr. Connor's voice echoed through the indoor arena. I used my hands and legs to guide Glamour in a small circle, but she felt stiff and unyielding. As we came out of the circle, I squeezed my legs and asked Glam to canter. She continued trotting rapidly, so I tapped my heels against her sides. Oops. Glamour shot forward with a big, rocking canter. I sat deep and asked her to come back to the trot, to try the transition again. This time, I held her together more, and she made a much smoother transition. I tried to ignore the fact that everyone else in the lesson was probably staring at me.

"Walk, and come into the middle," Mr. Connor said. The five of us in the lesson came to a halt in front of Mr. Connor.

"Now we are going to work through some figure-eights. I'm not going to set up any cones, because I want you to judge for yourself where the turns should be made. Ben, I'd like you to start." I watched as Ben, Try, Nichole, and then Andy went through the exercise effortlessly. Mr. Connor nodded in my direction, and I started forward.

"Just keep a nice, even working trot. Let Glamour bend through the turns without over-bending. Use your legs to guide her more than your hands."

I trotted Glamour through a big circle before asking her to turn to the left for the first loop of the figure-eight. She turned her head towards the inside, but bulged out to the side.

"More outside leg!" Mr. Connor instructed.

I corrected Glamour, then signaled her to change directions. She did it without too much trouble, which was a welcome relief. We were just in the process of completing our second loop when… _BANG_. I wasn't sure what made the noise, but Glamour didn't give me a chance to think about it. Immediately, her head shot up, and she shied violently to the left. Caught off guard, I lost one of my stirrups. Glamour started to panic, and took off at a fast canter. I sank my weight into the saddle and pulled gently on the reins, afraid to pull too hard with the Pelham bit. Glamour responded by twisting up in a buck that almost sent me head-over-heels into the dirt. _Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh! _I grabbed a hunk of Glam's mane in one hand and used the other for a pulley rein. Glamour finally slowed to a normal canter, and I was suddenly aware of everybody else in the arena. My face burned with embarrassment.

"Taylor, are you all right?" Mr. Connor asked as he came towards us. I managed to slow Glamour to a walk and then a halt. Mr. Connor grabbed Glamour's bridle and looked up at me in concern.

"I-I'm alright," I stuttered. My heart was pounding, but I was okay. I slid down from Glamour's back. My legs felt like bags of water. Leaning up against my horse, I took a couple of deep breaths. Beside me, Glamour trembled slightly.

"Why don't you go back to the barn and try to calm Glamour down," Mr. Connor suggested. I nodded, running up my stirrups and loosening Glam's girth. I walked past everybody else, smiling up at them to show them that I was okay. And I was, really. Just a little shaken.

…

Back in Glamour's stall, I untacked her and right away checked her legs for any signs of heat. Phew, nothing. Heat would have meant that Glamour had hurt herself during her mad-dash.

Putting my saddle on the wooden bar that was built onto the stall door, I looked in at Glamour. She stood still with her head down, looking more miserable than I'd ever seen her.

I crouched down by her face and stroked my fingers down her white blaze. "Poor girl, you're just having a really bad day, huh?" I crooned. Glamour's lower lip trembled and her big brown eyes seemed search my face. No matter how badly she behaved, I couldn't stay mad at her. I was used to her having the odd temperamental-mare day. I groomed her slowly before putting away my tack.

I grabbed my navy blue/smoke blue/grey striped cooler blanket off the stall door and draped it over Glamour.

"Let's go for a walk, kay?" I said as I clipped my lead rope to her halter.

Together, we headed out of the stable and down one of the quietest trails in the woods. Maybe we both just needed some quiet, relaxed, bonding time.

…

After our walk, I put Glamour back in her stall, both of us feeling better. I was just about to leave the stable to go back to my room (and a nice hot shower), when Heather stepped into my path.

"This has gotten ridiculous," she said. "I was watching your lesson. You were a complete train-wreck. And so I'm here to tell you to stop. Quit. Quit the team, and go home. You clearly don't belong at a school like Canterwood, or on the intermediate team." I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when she cut me off. "I don't care that Mr. Connor thinks you have 'potential' or whatever, I'm saying you aren't cut out for this level of riding. Come back when you actually learn how to ride, because it seems like you have no idea what 'riding' actually means." Heather paused, letting that sink in.

"Even though I'm on theYENT," she continued, "I can't stand seeing the intermediate team dragged down by you. And you are, by the way, dragging the whole team down. So seriously, drop out, _now_. Before I make you wish you'd never enrolled in the first place." With that, Heather turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving me staring after her.

I felt my eyes fill with tears. I knew my face was probably white as a sheet, or beet red. But I didn't care. I raced blindly for the door, not caring if I ran into people or not. I somehow made it to my dorm room without losing it. For a while I just lay there, replaying what had just happened over and over again in my head. I barely even noticed when the tears started to slide down my face.


	15. Chapter 15: Now What?

I lay curled up in my bed, going over what had happened yesterday.

After I'd gotten back to my room, Carly came in and saw me with tears in my eyes. She had been super sweet, asking me if I'd felt like talking or anything. I hadn't wanted to talk just then, so I promised her an explanation later and retreated to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. When I came out of the bathroom, there was a mug of hot chocolate on my desk, along with a note from Carly saying she would be back in a bit. I definitely had the best roommate ever. After finishing my cocoa, I brushed my teeth and crawled into bed, praying for tomorrow to be better.

Lucky for me, today was Sunday. That meant no mandatory lessons or classes, so I was free to mope around all day if I wanted to. I sat up and looked around. Carly was gone, probably doing homework in the library. Feeling a sudden wave of loneliness, I reached for my phone and dialed Sasha's number.

"What's up?" Sasha asked as she answered the phone.

"I was just... I kinda wanted to..." I sighed and started again. "I had a really bad day yesterday, and I need someone to talk to."

"Omigosh, what happened? Never mind, tell me everything when I get to Orchard." **(A/N: Paige and Sasha still live together in Winchester my story.) **

We hung up and I reluctantly rolled out of bed. I rifled through my tall dresser for something comfy to wear, and came up with steel-grey yoga tights and a loose royal purple long sleeve shirt. I twisted my long golden brown hair into a bun, slid my feet into my uber warm knit light grey Ugg boots, and left for the common room.

...

"I can't believe Heather said all that to you," Sasha said for the fourth time. "I mean, I know she can be really nasty, 'cause I experienced it first hand myself, but I thought she's changed, gotten nicer." Sasha and I were sitting on one of the comfy beige couches in the Orchard common room. I'd told Sasha what had happened with Heather yesterday, and she was helping me figure out Heather's motives.

"Well, if she was just trying to intimidate me, she probably wouldn't have gone as far as tell me to leave Canterwood," I reasoned. "I just don't know what I ever did to provoke her."

"I guess the important thing is... what are you going to do about it?"

I thought for a moment. "I won't go looking for Heather anytime soon, but I also won't run away from her. That would be giving in, and I refuse to do that." Sasha looked impressed. "And anyway, what else _can_ I do? Eventually Heather's gonna have to realize that she can't rattle me." I pulled my feet up onto the couch and wrapped my arms around my legs, propping my chin on my knees. "What did you do when Heather gave you a hard time?" I asked.

"I didn't do anything, really. I just kept working harder to improve my riding so that Heather would eventually have nothing to complain about. Then one day, at a show, another girl named Jasmine King started trash-talking our whole team, and Heather just kind of stepped up and defended us all," Sasha explained. "After that, things got better and better."

I nodded. "Thanks for listening to me rant, and for the advice."

"No problem! You can totally come find me anytime you need someone," Sasha said warmly.

"Right back at you," I said with a grin. I felt much better now, and I knew what I had to do.

...

I walked determinedly towards the stable. A cool fall breeze picked up and I tightened my brown and tan plaid scarf around my neck. Truth? I was really worried about running into Heather again. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle all the hatefulness just yet, so I hurried to get to Glamour's stall.

I groaned as I saw that Heather had her gelding, Aristocrat, in the cross-ties just ahead. Nonetheless, I squared my shoulders, set my jaw stubbornly, and marched right past Heather without giving her a single glance. She didn't say anything as I went by.

"Glam! Hey, mare. How's it going?" Glamour grunted and looked up from her hay. I held out a hand and she nudged it with her pink muzzle. "That's my girl," I said softly. Letting myself into the stall, I wrapped my arms around Glamour's golden neck. She stood still and let me hug her, which was nice. She rarely tolerated me loving on her. "We've got _a lot_ to do today, so I hope you're ready," I said solomnly. Glam shook out her dark forlock and eyed me. She was ready to go.

I groomed and tacked up quickly, not wanting to waste a second of our precious practice time. Once outside and mounted, I surveyed the arenas. They were all pretty busy. It was purely by chance that I found my way to the small ring that was farthest away from the stable. Empty. Awesome. I turned Glamour towards the rail and got started.

...

"Um, missing something?"

I turned in the saddle but kept Glamour trotting in a circle. Heather stood at the arena entrance on Aristocrat, and pointed at something on the ground. I squinted and realized what she was refering to. After Glam and I had warmed up, I felt like torturing myself. So, logically, the best way to do that was to take my stirrups off my saddle. The leathers and irons lay in a neat pile on the ground just outside the arena.

"You do know these things go on your saddle, right?" Heather asked slowly. I shrugged and continued to do a sitting trot, bending Glam smoothly through a fifteen-meter circle. Heather sighed dramatically and walked Aristocrat forward.

"Are you done?" she asked impatiently. "Because I need to practice in here."

I slowed Glamour to a walk and met Heather's icy blue gaze evenly. "Then practice."

Heather rolled her eyes. "Fine. But if you get in my way even once, you're out. Got it?"

Instead of responding, I tapped my heels against Glam's sides and she bounded forward with a beautiful canter. Glamour and I were _on_ today, so I was almost eager for Heather to see us.

I pushed my seatbones into the saddle and focused on keeping Glam's attention on me. I wiggled the double reins in my fingers, and Glam responded perfectly by shortening her stride. We lapped Heather several times before I sat deep and asked Glamour to slow down. Glam did everything that I asked of her, almost as if she knew how important it was to look good in front of Heather.

Back at the trot, I worked at keeping our pace quiet and even. I posted as if I had stirrups, and I felt proud that I was strong enough to keep it up. _Just don't think about how your arms feel like they're going to fall off_, I thought to myself. _Or how numb your legs are._ Wait, scratch that, feeling (and pain!) is def coming back. I ignored my screaming muscles and kept going.

A full hour later, I left the little arena and Heather, feeling about ready to fall over and die slowly from the pain. But it was good pain; the kind you get from a great workout. And it _was_ a great workout. Glam and I fixed a bunch of little things and I could already tell that her collected trot was becoming more relaxed.

I untacked an exhuasted Glamour and cooled her out in lazy circles out in one of the large fields beside the stable. My body may have been tired, but my mind was still going full tilt. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if Heather decided to "talk" to me again, and how I'd deal with it. I already knew that I wouldn't be able to just grin and bear it. No, sir. I was not going to take that kind of abuse. If only I wasn't so shy and cowardly...


	16. Chapter 16: Monday, Ew

Monday afternoon, I walked into my art class and slumped down in my seat. I hate Mondays. Monday had aways been an "ew" kind of day for me. English with Luke earlier had been alright, but I was too distracted to really enjoy myself. Lunch had been long and dull, I wasn't hungry enough to eat much. And now, in art, which was usually one of my very favourite classes, I found myself counting the minutes until I could go back to my dorm.

Alison Robb, one of Heather's two BFFs (Sasha called the three of them the Trio), came in and sat in her assigned seat next to me. She glanced at me sideways, and I stiffened. Had Heather asked Alison to torment me, too? But Alison just looked away and pulled out her sketchbook. Out of the corner of my eye, I admired Alison's sketches. She was also a rider, on the advanced team, and she mostly drew her gorgeous palamino Arabian gelding, Sunstruck. Alison caught me looking and glared at me. I offered her a sarcastic smile.

I looked at the clock on the wall. Sigh. Still over an hour until my riding lesson.

The class dragged on and on, until finally we were dismissed. I shot out of my seat and practically bulldozed my way out the door. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here! I walked as fast as I could to my dorm, and was out of breath by the time I closed the door behind me.

I took a deep breath through my nose and exhaled slowly, trying to quiet the voices in my head. Ever since Saturday evening, Heather's words had echoed through my mind. I could barely concentrate on anything besides riding, and even then my only thoughts were about what I needed to work on next, or how I should use my practice time.

Not even fully aware of what I was doing, I pulled on a pair of full-seat navy blue breeches and a white long sleeve shirt. It was unseasonably warm today, so I didn't bother with my jacket. I zipped up my boots and walked out the door, doing my best to leave the nagging thoughts behind.

That worked for a grand total of two minutes. I found myself counting cobblestones in the sidewalk as I walked, just to distract myself. _You've got to stop obsessing over the littlest things!_ I yelled at myself. _But Heather_ _trying to make me leave school wasn't a little thing_, said a quiet voice in the back of my head. I shook my head and forced myself back to reality. I had a riding lesson to get ready for.

...

I carried an armful of tack back to the tack room. The lesson had been good. Basic flatwork stuff. Kind of boring, really, but it was good practice either way. I was inturrupted mid-thought by someone ramming into me, _hard_.

"Omg, watch where you're going!" the person shouted. I turned to see who it was. Oh, look. It was Heather. Figures. She glared at me. "Don't you have anything better to do than get in my way?"

I pretended to think about that. "Nope. Nothing better to do," I said mockingly. I realized that baiting Heather like this was about as dangerous as climbing into a shark tank wearing only fresh meat, but I didn't care.

"You think you're _so_ funny, don't you?"

"Not in the slightest."

"I was serious when I said you don't belong here. Loser riders like you shouldn't even be put on a horse," Heather spat. My head jerked back a fraction. Okaaay. And what did I do to warrent this? Before I could say anything, Heather walked away. I considered going after her, but then thought better of it.

I took my frustration out on my tack, scrubbing all of it as hard as I could with a saddle-soap soaked sponge. Pretty soon my arms began to ache and I had soapy water running down my wrists. I rinsed, dried, then oiled all of my stuff. Cleaning tack was weirdly relaxing for me. I fell into the easy rythme and didn't even notice as the time flew by. Before too long, I got a text from Carly, asking where I was. Oops. I was going to miss dinner if I didn't hurry up! I hurriedly finished up and left the stable, doing my best not to dwell on Heather's words. If I was going to survive life at boarding school, I'd have to learn to deal with mean girls better.

I was slightly winded by the time I got back to Orchard. Carly was waiting patiently for me, painting her nails. As quickly as I could, I jumped into the shower, returning a few minutes later smelling strongly of my raspberry-dark chocolate shampoo and conditioner.

"What's been going on with you lately?" Carly questioned. I'd filled her in earlier about the whole Heather situation, but I guess it didn't really explain much about why I was acting so weird.

"It's just... what Heather said kinda got to me. I _know_ it shouldn't be a big deal and that I shouldn't listen to her, but you know me. I stress and obsess over _everything,_" I explained as I blow-dried my hair. "I can't help but wonder if what Heather has been saying is true. I mean, what if I don't belong at a school like Canterwood? I can't even actually afford to pay for it! And what if Glamour _is_ too much horse for me? I could be ruining her!"

"Stop, right now. You deserve to be at Canterwood as much as anybody else here. Plus, you and Glamour are like two peas in a pod," Carly said, not giving me the chance to get any more hysterical. "You're too hard on yourself."

"Yeah, so I've heard," I said grumpily. My hair was dry now, so I moved on to doing my make-up. A little shimmery dark brown eyeliner and some mascara and I was done. _Wow_, I thought. _Can I get any more boring? _I smiled to show Carly that I was alright, and I could tell she was relieved. It couldn't be easy dealing with a crazy person, but Carly dealt with living with me very well.

I stood in front of the full mirror on the back of my closet door. I'd paired a royal blue waffle-knit top with dark wash skinny jeans. My naturally wavy hair looked soft and shiny, and the blond highlights from the sun this past summer still stood out. I smoothed on a dusty pink coloured lipgloss that tasted like vanilla, and I was ready to go. I slid my feet into chocolate coloured suede flats, pulled on my brown leather jacket, and left the room with Carly.

I somehow managed to think about other things during dinner. Sasha came to sit with Carly and I, and both of them bonded over their mutual love for the same TV shows. But before too long,we all ended up giggling about the latest stalker update Carly gave us.

"And he, like, did that cliche movie thing where he slowly slid across the wall to where I was standing. It was horrifying!" Carly exclaimed, hiding her face in her hands.

"He's in my Spanish class, so I'll have to watch out for him," Sasha said.

"You've got some serious boy issues, Carly," I stated. "And speaking of!" I stifled a giggle as Carly's stalker, (apparently his name was Robert) made his way through the crowded cafeteria to our table. Carly's face paled and she slid down in her seat.

"Hide. Me." Carly did her best to become invisible. Sasha and I shifted in our own seats to partially hide Carly from view.

"H-hi there, um, Carly." We all looked up to see Stalker Boy standing beside our table. He ran a hand through his (greasy, ew!) brown hair and smiled broadly at Carly, who looked like she was about to be sick. Before he could say anything else, I piped up.

"Hey, Carly, don't we have that dorm meeting in two minutes? We should probably go now, so we won't be late."

"Oh, yeah, totally forgot about that! Let's go." Carly jumped to her feet and started to drag me away. Sasha got up to leave with us.

"It was nice seeing you, Robert!" I said over my shoulder. I felt a little sorry for him, and didn't have the heart to be totally mean. Robert waved confusedly at us, looking puzzled.

The three of us burst out laughing as we stepped outside.

"Omg that was _sooo_ awkward!" Sasha said. "I feel bad for you, having to deal with that everyday."

"Yeah, it's so weird. Like, I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but I just have zero interest." We said good-bye to Sasha as we headed back to Orchard, then imersed ourselves in plans for how to ditch the stalker for good. It was a relief for me to focus on someone else's problems, rather than my own.


	17. Chapter 17: Respect

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Classes, riding lessons, marathon study sessions… everything started to meld together for me.

Heather had taken every opportunity that arose to torment me, and I was getting sick of it. Actually, I was getting kind of bored with it all. But Heather's cruel words stung nonetheless. It had become somewhat of an art, pretending like I didn't hear Heather. But I always did.

I noticed that I almost tiptoed around the stable, for fear of disturbing Canterwood's Queen. I avoided riding where Heather could easily find me. I avoided spending unnecessary time in Orchard as well, seeing as Heather lived there, too. I spent hours upon hours riding, perfecting every skill that I had. Okay, _maybe_ I was practicing extra to prove Heather wrong, but hey, motivation is motivation.

Glamour was definitely benefiting from all the extra attention. I'd been riding her for over an hour every day, as well as alternating between lunging in Canterwood's huge round pen and free-jumping with Mr. Connor's supervision. Glam had lost her slight hay-belly and had put on more muscle; she was now able to canter for ten minutes longer than before, and she was free-jumping four feet without a problem. But it still wasn't enough. _We_ still weren't good enough.

That thought had been bouncing around in my head all week, and it was taking its toll. I was never fully satisfied after a ride anymore.

I shook myself out of my reverie. I was walking down the stairs in Orchard to the common room, which def needed my full attention. I'd tripped on the stairs more times than I could count. Stepping into the warm common room, I noticed three things. One, that Heather was there. Two, that she was alone. And three, she did _not_ look happy. I considered turning around and leaving, finding somewhere else to do my work, but that would feel like Heather was controlling me. So I squared my shoulders and walked in.

"Oh, it's _you_," Heather sneered. I took a deep breath through my nose and tried to hold my tongue. Today had been long and painful for a Friday, and I so wasn't in the mood for this. "Shouldn't you be packing your bags and leaving already?" That did it for me.

"What on earth is your problem, Heather?!" I shouted. "What did I _ever _do to you?" I checked myself, lowering my voice. "I never said anything or did anything to you. I literally have no idea why you decided to be so mean to me. I _know_ that I'm not a very good rider. I _know_ that I don't deserve a horse like Glamour. I _know_ that I don't even deserve to be here at Canterwood! So I sure as hell don't need you reminding me of it every. Single. Day." Heather looked shocked at my outburst. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Does it give you some sick kind of satisfaction, knowing that your words make me feel more insecure than I already do? Do you enjoy knowing that what you say gets under my skin? 'Cause if that's the case, you need to seriously reevaluate your life." I paused for a moment, catching my breath and letting what I said sink in. "I'm here to stay, whether you like it or not. So either accept it and stop trying to make me leave, or continue to waste your time. Makes no difference to me."

I thought for a moment. "You know what, Heather? You try to push me around and knock me down. But all you're doing is making me stronger. Motivating me to get better, and to always push for perfection. So thanks, you're actually helping me in the long run." With that, I left the common room, leaving Heather staring at me with wide blue eyes.

…

I dialed Sasha's number as I walked the short distance from Orchard Hall to the stable. "You'll _never_ believe what just happened," I said when she picked up.

"What?! Tell me!"

"Are you busy? I'm just going to the stable, so I could tell you over a trail ride if you want."

"I'll be over there in five minutes." I hung up and shoved my hands into my jacket pockets. October had brought a nasty chill with it. I walked over to the small grassy paddock where Glamour was turned out by herself. She stuck her buckskin head over the fence and nickered as I got closer. I smiled at her. Running my fingers down her stark white blaze, I tried to feel confident about what I'd done. I'd stood up to Heather Fox and lived to tell the tale. But I couldn't shake the insecurities that seemed to follow me everywhere. I clipped my lead to Glamour's halter and led her back to the stable.

After grooming and tacking our horses in record time, Sasha and I mounted and started down one of the many winding trails behind the stable yard. We rode in silence for a few moments before I spilled what had just happened with Heather.

"Oh, my gosh, are you serious? That's insane!" Sasha said after I finished. "And Heather just stood there?"

"Yup, mouth gaping open and everything."

"Wow. You've got to be the first person to ever stand up to Heather like that," Sasha marveled.

"I just hope it puts an end to her awfulness," I said with a shrug. We guided the horses down the dirt trail.

"It does feel good to have gotten all of that off my chest, though."

"I bet." We reached the edge of the forest and found ourselves in a huge field. I looked over at Sasha and our eyes met. Without saying a word, we both urged our horses forward and cantered side-by-side. I let Glamour stretch out into a slow gallop and Sasha let Charm do the same. The chestnut gelding shook out his mane and inched his nose in front of Glamour's. Sasha and I laughed and let our horses battle for the lead.

Suddenly feeling the need to be free, I knotted the reins and dropped them on Glamour's neck, stretching my arms out beside me like wings. I closed my eyes and felt a giddy laugh bubble up from my chest, escaping my lips. I galloped along like that, no hands on the reins, eyes closed, just feeling Glamour moving beneath me. I opened my eyes again but didn't take the reins back. I just let Glamour go. Beside me, Sasha laughed. Slowly, she also let go of Charms reins, and we both raced across the grass without touching our horses' mouths, without feeling the need for control. I hadn't felt this free in a very long time.

Before we reached the end of the field, Sasha and I slowed Charm and Glam to a canter, then trot, and finally a walk.

"That felt _ah-mazing_," I said. Sasha nodded in agreement. We let the horses amble down the worn path that led back to the campus and chatted happily.

"We _so_ need to do this more often," Sasha said.

"Agreed. Maybe we can practice together sometime, too."

"Totally!"

We were back at the stable by now, and split up to untack and groom.

I made big circles with the plastic curry comb on Glam's coat, still riding the adrenaline high from the ride with Sasha. I was lost in happy thoughts when someone walked over and stood by Glamour's head. I glanced up, and went back to grooming, then I did a double take. Heather stood in front of me, stroking Glamour's cheek. _Oh, what now? _I thoughtirritably.

"I just wanted to say…" Heather started. She sighed. "Look, Taylor, I don't really like you, but… after what you said to me… standing up for yourself like that…you've earned my respect." I could only stare at Heather.

"Did I just here you say that… you _respect_ me?" I asked incredulously.

"If you ever repeat that, you will pay," Heather threatened. But I could tell that she didn't really mean it. She seemed to look at me differently, too. With a parting pat for Glamour, Heather left.

Whoa. I considered all that had happened between us, and I guess earning Heather's respect was pretty huge. I turned my attention back to Glamour and considered how things would be different from now on.


	18. Chapter 18: He Likes Me, He Likes Me Not

I woke up to an obnoxious buzzing noise. It stopped, so I snuggled back under my chocolate coloured duvet. It took a moment for my sleepy, foggy brain to realize that the buzzing had been my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand. I groped blindly for my phone and pulled it under the warm covers with me. Peering at the screen, I saw that I had a text from Luke.

_Want to meet for drinks at SS? _it read. That woke me up.

_Sure!_ _Time? _I typed back.

_Noon?_

_I'll be there. :) _After typing in my reply, I leapt out of bed. A quick glance at my clock told me I had an hour before my… wait, what was this exactly? A casual meeting? A… date? I felt my pulse quicken at the thought of going on a date with Luke. I considered waking Carly up, but decided to give her a little more time to sleep. I skipped into the bathroom and ran the hot water. I took longer to shower than usual, using extra of my yummy smelling shampoo and conditioner than usual. And more of my caramel scented body wash. Climbing out of the bathtub, I wrapped myself in a fluffy light blue towel and padded into the room.

By now, Carly was awake and was sitting up in bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked groggily.

"Luke asked me to meet him at the Sweet Shoppe at noon!" I squealed.

"Really? Like a date? Taylor! I'm so happy for you!"

I beamed. "He didn't call it a date, so let's not assume anything." I went over to my closet and turned back to Carly. "You will help me pick out an outfit, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Not just _an_ outfit, I'll help you find the _perfect_ outfit!" Carly came to stand beside me. Together, we scanned my clothes for something that screamed, _Ask me out_. I rummaged through my dresser drawers for a pair of pants, and came up with a pair of pale grey jeggings.

"Yes or no?" I asked, holding the jeggings up.

"Def a yes," Carly said approvingly. She pulled out an oversize semi-transparent blue and purple plaid shirt. "This with a tank top underneath, tucked into those jeggings, will be so cute."

I took the clothes and got dressed. Looking in the mirror, I couldn't help but agree with Carly. The clothes looked uber cute together. I went into the bathroom and straightened my hair until it was smooth and shiny. For accessories, I put a pair of black studs and a pair of purple studs into my double ear piercings, as well as my leather bracelet with _Glamour_ engraved onto the small brass plate on it. With a little make-up, I was done.

"Do I look ready?" I asked Carly.

"So ready."

"Awesome. I'm going to head over to the Sweet Shoppe now." I took a deep breath. I was just meeting Luke at the Sweet Shoppe. It wasn't an actual date. Yet.

"Good-luck! SOS text me if you need anything!" Carly half-shouted as I walked out the door.

The heels of my lace-up black combat boots thudded against the ground as I walked over to the on-campus café/bakery. Just a casual meeting. Not a date. Nothing to be worried about. It's just Luke. That made me smile.

I entered the Sweet Shoppe and looked around. OMG. There he was. Luke was sitting in a cozy booth at the back of the shop. He looked up and saw me, and smiled. I did my best to walk over without stumbling.

"Hey," I said as I sat down across from Luke.

"Hey, Taylor. Glad you could meet me here. It feels like we never see each other outside of class anymore."

"I know, right?" I said, feeling myself relax. Luke and I had become pretty close friends, so I felt comfortable around him. A waitress came over and we ordered drinks and muffins. "So, what's new with you?" I asked.

"Not much. You?"

"Nothing, really. Homework, riding, that's about all I ever do." We talked for a while about my riding and Luke's music-he played piano, guitar, drums, just about anything, and was totally talented! I found my attention wandering as we talked. I got lost his gorgeous blue eyes, which were the exact colour of the summer sky. _Pay attention, dork!_ I commanded myself. I averted my gaze and instead stared at his mouth in an effort to focus on what he was saying. But then all I could think about was the way his perfect, full lips formed each word… _Stop it! You're going to weird him out!_

When our food came, we were silent for a few moments. I sipped my hazelnut hot chocolate and stared at Luke from under my lashes.

"So, I kinda wanted to ask you something," Luke said. I felt my pulse quicken. "I mean, we're good friends, right? It wouldn't be weird for me to ask you this…?"

"You can ask me anything!" I said. Ohmigosh, he was going to ask me out!

"Weelll, it's just… I need some advice." Luke ran a finger over the top of his mug of hot chocolate. Okaaay, advice was a little different than asking me out, but let's see where this would lead. "See, there's this girl. I really like her. But, I don't know how to approach her." What?! NO! I felt my stomach drop. This was the worst thing that could have happened! Luke looked me in the eye. "You're a girl."

"Thanks for noticing."

Luke smiled into his hot chocolate. "You know what I mean," he said, looking back up at me. "You know how girls think, what should I do?" I considered this for a moment. I _could_ give him awful advice, and hope that whoever this girl was would turn him down. But that would be cruel.

"Well, it really all depends on the girl," I explained. "Do you know each other at all?"

"Not really. We see each other around, but that's about it."

"Okay, so, you should start by trying to get to know her first. It would be totally awkward if you started going out, only to realize that you don't actually like her."

"That makes sense," Luke said, nodding. I picked at my pumpkin muffin, trying not to show how miserable I was inside. Luke grinned his irresistible grin and my heart melted a little. "Thanks. I'm glad I have a friend like you," he said warmly. He glanced at his phone. "I've got to run, but talk to you later?"

"For sure," I said half-heartedly. Luke got up and left, and as soon as he was out of sight, I let out a huge groan and let my head bang onto the table. This was a disaster! All this time, I'd been deluding myself into thinking it was _me_ Luke liked. But it wasn't. It was some _other_ girl. I sighed miserably. Well, this just sucked.


	19. Chapter 19: Trail Ride

I tried not to mope about Luke for the rest of the weekend, but it was no use. Carly did her best to cheer me up; keeping me busy with anything she could think of. I appreciated her efforts, I really did. I was just uncheerable. Glamour noticed my mood when I went down to the stable to work her. She was extra sweet and was on her best behavior. Which was good, 'cause I really couldn't deal with my horse being silly at the moment.

I found myself back at the Sweet Shoppe Wednesday afternoon, looking for a bit of a pick-me-up. And the new mint-dark chocolate hot chocolate seemed like the perfect candidate. I'd just been handed my steaming drink and was turning to leave when I spotted Troy and Heather sitting at a table together. Troy waved me over with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Taylor. A bunch of us are planning a huge trail ride for this Friday. Want to come?" Troy asked.

"Sure!" I said. "A trail ride sounds great! Who all is coming?"

Troy rattled off the names. "Me, Andy, Ben, Nichole, Lexi, Heather, Julia, and Alison."

"Cool. Want me to ask anybody else if I see them?" I shuddered inwardly just thinking about going on a trail ride with _Heather_.

"Sure, that'd be great!"

I said my good-byes and left. Clutching my delicious hot chocolate tightly, I realized how relieved I was to have something to look forward to.

...

Friday came at it's own leisurely pace. As soon as classes let out for the day, I rushed back to my room to change for riding. We'd had a grueling lesson in the morning, so a trail ride was totally the perfect way to unwind for the weekend. I dressed quickly in one of my fave pairs of breeches, the super warm dark grey pair, and pulled on a baby blue hoodie. I pulled my wavey hair up into a sloppy ponytail and left for the stable.

Nichole, Sasha—who I'd invited as soon as I'd heard about the trail ride—and I tacked up together with Charm and Wish in their stalls across from each other and Glamour in the cross-ties. We gossiped while we worked, and before I knew it, I'd completely forgotten about Luke and Mystery Girl. We all laughed when Glamour sneezed on me, and I was grateful for my black barn jacket having taken the worst of the damage.

We walked the horses outside and mounted, going over to where a small crowd was gathering. I shivered in my coat. Why was it so cold? It was only October!

Once everyone was mounted and ready to go, we started down the biggest and most used trail into the woods. I settled Glamour between Nichole and Wish and Ben and his horse. Basically, I made sure that we were faaar away from Heather. Just in case. We talked about upcoming shows, which made me nervous-slash-excited. I'd never competed with Glamour. Ben and Nichole seemed shocked by that.

"Seriously? You two seem like you've been working together for years!" Ben said.

"I bet you'll totally sweep through the jumpers," Nichole added.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see how we do at our first show!" As an after-thought, I asked, "When is the first show, anyway?" Both Nichole and Ben shrugged. I made a mental note to ask Mr. Connor the next time I saw him. I let Glamour drop back and rode beside Lexi, one of the other tenth grade intermediate riders. She smiled sweetly at me and soon we were deep in coversation, discussing what we thought about the new Marianas Trench song. **(A/N: Major Trencher over here!) **I barely noticed as the trail ride came to an end.

"That was fun," I said as I rode over to Sasha. We dismounted.

"Yeah, it was great getting together with everyone." Sasha looked like she was about to say something else when her phone went off in her pocket. Glancing at the screen, a blush crept up onto her face.

"Jacob?" I asked, guessing it was a text from her boyfriend.

"Yeah, we're going out on a date tonight," Sasha said. We split up to put our horses away.

"I hope you two have fun!" I said as we parted ways. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Sasha and Jacob had the perfect relationship, while I was stuck pining over a boy who thought of me as nothing more than a friend. Sigh. Life really wasn't fair.

...

**This is obviously just a fluffy filler chapter, but I'll have a better chapter uploaded later (tonight, possibly!).**


	20. Chapter 20: Some Friendly Advice

I stumbled around the dark room early Saturday morning. Getting dressed as quietly as I could, I pulled on a pair of faded blue jeans and an old UConn hoodie that used to be my dad's. Pulling my hair into a messy side braid, I tiptoed out of the quiet dorm and walked across the semi-dark campus to the cafeteria for something to eat. The caf was deserted at this time in the morning, so I had my pick of tables. I slid my tray onto a small square table by the huge bay window and started on my blueberry waffles. Yum. I took my time eating, enjoying the quiet. By the time I left, the caf was starting to fill up with other early risers.

It was chilly outside, and I pulled my nylon barn jacket closer to my body. A rush of warm air greeted me as I slipped between the huge wooden double doors of the stable. I inhaled the familiar scent of horses, leather, hay, and grain and walked down the main aisle to Glamour's stall.

"Morning, pretty girl," I said softly, peeking my head over the half-door. Glamour blinked sleepily at me and stuck her muzzle in my direction. With a grunt of effort, she was on her feet, shaking off the wood shavings that clung to her dusy coat. "I'm going to go get my stuff, then we'll get you nice and shiny," I promised.

I returned moments later with my grooming kit and lunging equipment. I spent extra time brushing and picking out Glamour's hooves, taking full advantage of the quiet stable. I may not be a morning person, but getting up early definitely had it's advantages. Once Glamour was clean, I wrapped Glam's legs with my favourite light blue polos and buckled a cavesson onto her head. Grabbing a lunge line and whip, I led Glamour outside to the enormous covered round pen.

Standing in the center of the ring, I let out the lunge line and let Glamour walk around. After a few minutes, I asked her to trot. "Trot!" I called clearly. Glamour bounced forward with a light, springy trot. I watched her movement as she circled me, and was pleased with what I saw; her muscled rippled under her gleaming golden hide and she struck the ground sharply with her hooves. I let her trot for a few more laps before letting out more line. "Canter!" I commanded. Glamour leaped into the canter with enough force to almost jolt me off my feet. But I was ready for it, and kept my balance. "Whoa," I said in a low voice. Taking in more of the line, I forced Glamour to make smaller circles and collect her stride more. She listened, slowing down. Glam cantered around me steadily, chin tucked in and neck arched. Feeling that she was suffuciently warmed up, I started to work her through some exercises. We worked well, and time seemed to slip away.

...

I turned Glamour out in one of the giant grassy fields after I finished lunging, cooling, and grooming her. Glam trotted away from me and stopped several yards away to graze. She looked cozy in her navy blue and grey striped fleece blanket. I leaned against the glossy wooden fence and watched her.

"Taylor!" I turned at the sound of my name. "I was just on my way back to my dorm after breakfast when I saw you out here. Thought you might like some company." Luke walked across the brown grass towards me.

"Your company is always welcome," I said, blushing slightly. Luke didn't notice.

"Sure is nice out here, huh?" he said as he came to stand next to me.

"Mmhm," was my only response. On the inside, I was having an internal struggle as to whether or not I should ask Luke about his mystery crush. The shy, cowardly side won over and I stayed silent.

"She seems so calm," Luke said, gesturing at Glamour. "Aren't you always saying she's totally wild?"

"Wait for it..." Right on cue, Glamour's head shot up and she tensed. Then, for absolutely no reason at all, she tore off across the paddock. Glamour ducked her head and gave a couple sharp bucks before galloping down the fence line and giving a twisting leap into the air. She continued her little episode for a few more seconds before stopping abruptly and resuming her grazing.

"That was actually scary, how you, like, predicted that," Luke said.

"Nah, I just spend a lot of time watching her, so I'm really used to her random weirdness," I said fondly. "Now imagine having to ride that!" I felt a spark of courage and spoke up. "So, how did it go with that girl you like? Have you talked to her yet?" My heart sank as Luke's face lit up.

"Yeah, I started talking to her at lunch the other day. And you know what? I think I really like her."

"Wow, awesome. Great. G-good for you," I practically had to shove the words out of my mouth. "What's your plan now?" Luke stuck his hands in the pockets of his dark skinny jeans and looked nervous.

"Honestly? I have no clue. I thought about asking her out when I see her on Monday. Good or bad?"

"Good, if it's what you want." Every bit of advice I gave was another nail in my own coffin. "You could always ask her to be your date to the Halloween party," I suggested. Canterwood was having a huge Halloween bash in two weeks. Naturally, I didn't have a date. I could already see a tradition forming.

"That's a pretty good idea, actually," Luke said consideringly.

"Don't sound so shocked," I said, elbowing him in the ribs. We were quiet for a moment, both of us watching Glamour munching grass. "Sooo, are you ever going to tell me who this girl is?" I was _dying_ to know.

"Amanda Fields," Luke named a girl in my math class.

"Oh," I squeaked. Damn. Amanda was pretty, smart, funny, and supossedly an amazing singer, with perfect platinum blond hair and the clearest skin of anybody I'd ever seen. And did I mention she was really pretty? I decided to make a hasty retreat. "I've got to go. You know, homework and stuff. But I'll see you around?" I left before Luke could respond. Suddenly, I had no desire to go to the Halloween party _at all_.


	21. Chapter 21: Party Time!

In the weeks leading up to Canterwood's Halloween party, I became a master at the art of distraction. I had to, otherwise I'd drive myself crazy thinking about Amanda Fields, and how Luke liked her and not me. I channeled all of my energy into school and riding. Same as I always seemed to be doing these days when faced with an unpleasent situation. Huh, new coping method, perhaps? Either way, both my grades and my horse were benefiting. I was maintaining straight A's in all my classes and I swear Glamour had never been in better shape.

The evening before the party arrived before I knew it, and I was still feeling conflicted. I tend to be pretty antisocial when it comes to parties, what with being shy, quiet, and awkward and all, but the party sounded like it would be fun and I wanted to go. On the other hand, I had no desire to see Luke and Amanda there together.

"Uhh, I don't know what to do!" I growled. I spun around and around in my desk chair while Carly got ready to go. She looked awesome in her pirate costume, with a semi-long ragged looking skirt, loose white shirt and black vest. She sorted through different accesories, picking out the perfect piratey pieces.

"You should come! It won't be as fun without you. Plus, you already have a costume." I looked longingly at the black wool tights, dark grey tunic shirt, and red cloak hanging off the doorknob of my closet door. I was supposed to be Little Red Riding Hood, and I _really_ wanted to wear the costume.

"Fine. I think I'll come. But if I see Luke and Amanda doing anything more than holding hands, I'm out."

"Understandable," Carly said. "Now, I'm going to do my make-up in the bathroom, and when I get out you'd better be dressed." Carly pointed her finger at me threateningly.

"Okay, okay." I got up and grabbed my costume, feeling nervous as I put it on. I really didn't think I could handle seeing Luke and Amanda together tonight. I looked at myself in the mirror and admired the costume. It was simple, but it worked. Carly came out of the bathroom and smiled at me.

"You look great," she said.

"Thanks. So do you!" Carly looked every bit a rough and tough pirate girl. "I'll just do my hair and make-up, then I'm good to go." I walked into our bathroom and turned on the curling iron. While that heated up, I started on my make-up. A little foundation smoothed out my complexion and peachy blush made me look less pale. I used a smokey grey eyeshadow with a slight shimmer on my eyes and lined them with a black liquid eyeliner. Black mascara made my lashes look long and thick. To finish off the look, I smoothed on a deep red lipstain and a shimmery semi-clear gloss that tasted like apples. After giving my golden brown hair big loose waves with the curling iron, I stepped out of the bathroom.

"I'm ready," I said, grabbing a pair of flat over-the-knee grey suede boots. Sitting on my bed, I pulled on the boots.

"Great, let's go!" Carly said excitedly. I jumped up and linked my arm to her's, leaving the room. We walked briskly towards the party, held in Canterwood's gorgeous ballroom. I caught myself picking at my black nail polish and clenched my hands into fists. Maybe I was more worried about the whole Luke situation than I'd thought. We climbed the stairs leading up to the ballroom and paused before opening the door.

"Wow," Carly and I breathed at the same time as we stepped inside. The ballroom looked so amazing! Black, orange, and dark purple was everywhere, from the black tableclothes underneath Halloween-themed food, to the purple balloons that bobbed against the high ceiling, to the orange streamers draped across almost every surface. Students milled around, all dressed in different costumes. I smoothed my hands over my crimson hooded cloak and scanned the crowd. I spotted Sasha and Jacob talking to some people I didn't know, and Nichole was sitting with a group of other riders. I stood on my tiptoes and caught a glimpse of the person I was really looking for: Luke. I broke away from Carly, telling her I'd come find her in a bit, and began to wriggle my way through the crowd.

"Hey Luke..." I trailed off. Luke turned and saw me, smiling broadly. But what got me was who he was with. Perfect, beautiful Amanda stood beside him. She looked (regretably) adorable dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. "Hi, Amanda," I added grudgingly.

"You're Tammy, right?" Amanda asked with a brilliant smile.

"Um, it's Taylor, actually." Awkward... "Well... it was nice seeing you. I'd better go-" I said as I spun around and all but ran away. Tammy? Really? That wasn't even _close_ to Taylor. "I knew this was a bad idea," I grumbled to myself. I found myself a quiet corner to sit in and prepared to be there for a while.

...

I looked up when a shadow fell over me. Luke looked down at me and offered me a sweet smile.

"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked. I wanted to say no; I wasn't very happy with him right now. But it was impossible to say no.

"Sure." Luke took a seat on the plush bench beside me. Music blasted from speakers somewhere in the room; I couldn't see much through all the people, but I assumed Canterwood had hired a famous DJ or something. "Not going to hang out with Amanda?" I asked, attempting—and failing—to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"She's dancing with her friends. She asked me to join her, but I can't dance. At all. It's actually embarrassing how bad I am," Luke said with a short laugh. He gave me a sideways look. "Why are you hiding over here?"

"Hmm? Who said anything about hiding?" I brushed non-existant lint off of my black tights.

"Come on, Taylor, I know you. Somethings been bothering you for a while now. What's going on with you?" Luke asked. He tipped his head so that he could look me in the eyes. I felt the concern in his clear blue gaze.

"Nothing. Everything is fine," I lied smoothly. Trying to lighten the mood, I stated, "I'm just avoiding the dance floor. Not only would I be horribly embarrassing, I'm also a safety hazard." Luke laughed. "Oh, you laugh now, but it's not so funny when you're the one I fall over on." But I couldn't help but laugh with Luke. He just had that effect on me. Because I had to, I asked, "How has it been, hanging out with Amanda?" I braced myself for Luke's answer.

"It's been great! She's so awesome. I was thinking that... I'd ask her to be my girlfriend after tonight." What?! No! Going to a party together was one thing. But asking her to be his _girlfriend_?! I felt my heart breaking into pieces. Luke blinked at me, confused when I didn't answer.

"Oh, yeah, that's... great." I sighed. "I'm really happy for you." But inside, I was dying. I got up and straightened my shirt. "I'm going to go find... someone. See you later." Or not. My boots scuffed across the ballroom floor and I could feel the pounding of the music pulse through my body. I suddenly wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else but here. I walked blindly through the mass of people; bumping into someone here, tripping over someone else there, until I was able to focus enough to see someone I knew.

"Carly, thank _goodness_ I found you," I breathed. I smoothed my grey tunic shirt self-consiously.

"Taylor! What's up?" Carly peered at me. "You look really pale, are you okay?" I shook my head morosely. "Uh-oh, what did Luke do?"

"He-he's really into Amanda." It was stupid to be this upset over something so little, but I couldn't help it.

"Hey, forget about Luke. He obviously has no taste in girls," Carly reasoned. "This is a party! You should be enjoying yourself!" I smiled because Carly's enthusiasm was infectious. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked around me. Almost everybody was dancing. Oh, gosh. I had been verrry serious about being a horrid dancer. There was _no_ way I was joining in. Carly poked my arm. "Come ooon, you know you want to dance."

"No way. No no no no no." I crossed my arms across my chest. Carly bumped her hip against mine.

"Dance, dork. Before I make you." I stuck my tongue out. "Fine, you leave me no choice." Carly grabbed my arms and made me move awkwardly. It took me a little while, but eventually I loosened up. We jumped around as Desperate Measures by Marianas Trench blasted through the speakers. I felt ridiculously stupid, but it was nice to just let go like this. I could only pray that Luke wouldn't see me.

...

In the end, my Red Riding Hood costume was a big hit. I also danced with Carly and a couple of our other friends for over half-an-hour. Woah, never saw that one coming. I was just getting ready to leave when lo-and-behold, Luke showed up with Amanda in tow.

"Hey, I never ended up seeing you after you ran off. I hope you didn't injure anybody with your dancing," Luke winked at me. I felt a blush creep up onto my face. He saw me?! Fan-freaking-tastic.

"Don't worry," I said with a fake smile plastered on my face. "Nobody was harmed tonight." Except maybe me and my feelings. I glanced down and felt the blood drain from my face. Luke's and Amanda's hands were twined together. "I hope you two had a good time," I said cheerfully.

"Oh, we totally did, right Luke?" Amanda said, grinning up at Luke.

"For sure." Luke didn't take his eyes off Amanda. Vomit. Lucky for me, Carly showed up right at that moment.

"Ready to go, Carly?" She said, obviously sensing my discomfort. I really did have the greatest friend ever.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Bye, Luke. Amanda. Happy Halloween!" I pulled my dark red cloak around my body and walked away, willing myself not to look back.


	22. Chapter 22: Something New

My mood remained dark after the Halloween party. Not even the cute Halloween-themed decorations around our dorm room were enough to cheer me up. The only bright spot that I could see was Glamour. She had been my only constant throughout everything that had been happening lately.

I forced all thoughts about Luke out of my head as I got ready for my riding lesson on Monday morning. I needed to focus. I smoothed my purple saddle pad over Glamour's back and placed the saddle on top. After tightening the girth, I secured my grey jumping boots onto Glam's dark legs. My purple bell boots matched the saddle pad. I stood back and ran my gaze over Glamour. Satisfied that she was ready, I bridled her, buckled on my helmet, and started towards the indoor arena.

I was the first one there. Not surprising, considering how early it still was. I stuck my foot into the stirrup and pushed off the ground strongly. Settling into the supple leather, I pointed Glamour at the wall and started warming up. Glamour felt fresh and ready to go. Maybe too fresh. She chomped at the bit (which I had switched back to the full cheek snaffle) and yanked the reins through my fingers. I tightened my grip and gave Glamour firmer signals. We trotted around the arena for about five minutes before my teammates started to show up. Everybody warmed up in silence; the usual for morning practices.

Mr. Connor strode into the arena and motioned us to gather around him. "Today we are going to be doing something a little different. As you know, we do not do very much cross-country training on the intermediate team. However, I would like all of you to get some practice over a course. Before you get to try the outdoor course, you will first get to jump an indoor cross-country course. I have tried this with groups in the past, and it worked very well." Mr. Connor paused. "If you are all warmed up, then please follow me to the outdoor arena."

I exchanged excited looks with Nichole and Andy. Finally, cross-country! We stopped outside the huge outdoor ring and surveyed the course. It was comprised of some haybales, a liverpool, some logs, a fake stone wall, and a park bench.

"Taylor," Mr. Connor said quietly. "I understand that you have never done cross-country before?" I thought back to the homemade course back home that the other barn girls and I had put together in the hay field. Splash and I had flown through the course dozens of times. But I'd never ridden Glamour over it.

"Not exactly, Mr. Connor. I've done some crosscountry before, just not with Glamour," I explained.

"And do you feel comfortable doing a full course right now?" Mr. Connor asked.

"I think we can handle it."

"Good." Mr. Connor gave Glamour a pat on the neck. "Ben, you may ride the course first. The rest of you, please wait out here." I watched as Ben manuevered his horse over the jumps with ease, not having even a second of hesitation. I payed close attention as everyone else rode the course and made mental notes of where I'd have to be extra careful. Mr. Connor nodded to me and I trotted Glamour into the arena.

The second we were through the gate, Glamour craned her neck and eyed the jumps. I urged her to keep trotting. She shied sideways when we went passed the log pile and I almost lost my stirrup. Forgetting about the people watching, I took my time trotting Glam around the ring, letting her get settled. Usually you weren't supposed to let your horse familiarize themself with the jumps, but I didn't care. If Mr. Connor had a problem with what I was doing, he would tell me. Once she had settled a bit, I stopped posting and asked Glamour to canter.

We started towards the first jump, a couple of haybales stacked at different angles. I kept an even pressure on all four corners—both hands and both legs—like I had been taught and Glamour jumped the bales without a problem. I turned her in a wide half circle and we took the liverpool. Glamour hesitated for a moment before launching into the air, clearing the water by a good two feet. Next were the log piles, which had four strides between them. Glamour got one look at the scary logs and started to sidestep. "No," I said in a low, commanding voice. I pressed my boot against her side and shifted both my hands over, guiding her back to our track. We were now only five strides away from the jump. Four strides. _She's going to do it. She'll jump it. _Three strides- Glamour stopped dead. She stared at the jump in front of us, breathing hard.

"Bring her around again, Taylor," Mr. Connor instructed. "You were doing the right things, but this time come with more canter." I nodded and turned Glamour away from the jump. Coming at it a second time, I made sure that Glam knew she had to jump it. I let her out a notch. I counted down the strides in my head. _Three, two, one, ohh! _Glamour dug her heel in at the last minute, almost throwing my over her head. I had to dig my knees into the saddle just to keep from falling. Glamour backed up, shaking her head. I rightened myself and made Glamour walk up to the jump. I let her sniff it, showing her that it was harmless.

"Again, this time be even firmer with her," Mr. Connor said loudly from outside the ring. I felt tears of embarrassment burn behind my eyes. This could not be happening! Glam and I had been doing so well! We came at the log pile a third time. This time, I squeezed harder with my calves at the base of the jump. With a shudder, Glamour leaped over the logs. She had over-jumped by at least a foot, but she'd gotten over the spooky obstacle. Feeling more confident now, Glamour cantered strongly towards the second log pile. We made the line in three strides instead of four, but I didn't care. We finished the course and I rode back to Mr. Connor with A small smile on my face.

"I'm impressed with how you handled that, Taylor. You didn't let the refusals get you flustered and you did a good job with the rest of the course, especially considering it was Glamour's first attempt at cross-country," Mr. Connor said. He turned to face the rest of the class. "Good lesson everyone, I'll see you all tomorrow afternoon." I let out a huge breath and felt myself relax. I didn't even realize I'd been tense! I rode back to the stable and dismounted. After untacking and grooming, I threw Glamour's warm fleece cooler over her and started walking her outside.

As we walked, I lost myself in daydreams. Glamour and I wandered around the stable yard aimlessly. I was just about to take Glam back to her stall when I saw a familiar couple coming towards me. I groaned. It was Luke and Amanda. Just my luck. _It's not bad enough that I have to see the two of them around campus, now they have to come to the one place I thought I was safe? _I plastered a fake smile on my face as they got closer.

"Hi, what brings you guys down here?" I asked.

"Well, horses had come up in our conversation earlier, so I figured since I know my way around the stable after hanging out with you here, I could show Amanda around," Luke explained. Amanda gave her signature adorable "innocent girl" smile. Right then and there, I wanted to punch her right in the face. She was the fakest person I'd ever met! My own sudden anger startled me.

"I think horses are just so pretty!" Amanda gushed. She stared around her with wide brown eyes. Luke looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, uh, well, this is my horse, Glamour," I said awkwardly. Amanda squealed.

"Can I pet her?" she asked. _NO! _I wanted to refuse.

"Sure go ahead," I said, trying to sound indifferent. Amanda stepped towards Glamour and reached her hand up to touch Glam's face. Glamour raised her head out of Amanda's reach and pinned back her ears. Good girl.

"What's wrong with her?" Amanda asked. "Doesn't she like me?" She pouted.

"You've just got to approach her slowly," Luke explained. He stepped up and rubbed Glamour's shoulder. She lowered her head and blew in Luke's face. She absolutely adored him. I stood beside Glamour's head and played with the light blue lead rope in my hands

"I'd better get her back to her stall..." I said, letting the sentence trail off.

"Alright. It was nice running into you, though!" Luke said as Glamour and I walked away. I took Glam back to her stall and glanced at the time on my phone. Yikes, I was going to be late to class! I ran back to Orchard to get ready for school.


	23. Chapter 23: Great Conversation, Not

Life went on at a dull, boring pace. Thanksgiving break arrived before I knew it. It was great going home and spending time with my family. But it made me realize that Canterwood was now a huge part of me.

I arrived back at Canterwood the Sunday before classes started up again and was eager to get re-settled. I unpacked the bag I had brought home with me and said good-bye to my parents without any fanfair. Over the break, I'd made up my mind to do something, and I wasn't about to let myself chicken out of it now. Luke and I needed to talk. Now.

_Are you free for a bit?_ I texted. While I waited, I reorganized my closet. Just when I thought Luke wasn't going to reply, my Blackberry vibrated on my desk. I lunged for it, tripping myself on the leg of the couch in the middle of the room. I face-planted like a total loser, glad that Carly wasn't here yet to see me. Picking myself up, I grabbed my phone and opened the text.

_Sure, what's up?_ Was Luke's reply.

_Want to meet outside SS?_

_ See you there. _I took a shaky breath, suddenly unsure about this. I didn't even know what I wanted to say to Luke! _Hey, I really like you. But you're going out with a total fake, and I think you should break up with her._ Yeah... I'm sure that would go over well. I glanced down at my dark jeans and light pink cable-knit sweater, wondering whether I should change or not. _Nah, Luke doesn't care what I look like. _I ran my fingers through my long curly hair and pulled on a pair of black ankle boots. I yanked on my black and grey plaid wool coat as I walked out the door.

Luke was waiting outside the Sweet Shoppe when I got there, two drinks in his hands. "I ordered you a gingerbread hot chocolate, hope that's okay," Luke said as he handed me my drink. Our fingers brushed and I blushed, which I knew was pointless.

"You know me too well," I said gratefully. I took a sip of the hot chocolate. Mmmm.

"Are you going to tell me why you dragged me down here? Or am I going to have to try and guess?"

"What, I'm not allowed to want to just hang out with you? There has to be a reason?" I joked. My mind was scrambling like mad to come up with a real response.

"Yeah, I guess I _do_ enjoy hanging out with you. Just a little." Luke winked at me. Being friends with a guy could be so complicated! I _knew_ he wasn't flirting, but still. Sigh, if only he was. And if only he didn't have a (horrible) girlfriend. The two of us started walking down the cobblestone path that ran through the campus.

"Did you have a good break?" I asked.

"Mmhm, it was great. Nice to go home. But too short if you ask me." I laughed.

"Five days isn't enough for you?"

"Nah, not long enough to recover from Canterwood classes. How was your break?"

"It was nice. It felt so good to be home, but I kinda missed being here," I confessed. "Plus, I didn't get to ride for _five whole days_!" It was Luke's turn to laugh. We walked in comfortable silence for a while. _Now or never_, I thought. "So... how's it going with Amanda? I mean, do you still like her?" I braced myself for his answer.

"Things with Amanda are fantastic! I'm so into her." I knew I shouldn't have asked. "And it's all thanks to you, really," Luke added. Nice. Make me feel even worse.

"That's good," I said lamely. "But you know, I have heard some... interesting things about her."

"Like what?"

"Well, just that she's not as nice as she seems."

"Please tell me you don't believe lies like that, Taylor. Amanda's a great girl. Really." Luke ran a pale hand through his dark brown hair. I could tell I'd made him uncomfortable.

"I figured it was just stupid rumors. Sorry for bringing it up," I said. I clutched my still-warm paper cup tightly. There was no way I'd be able to tell Luke what I really wanted to now! _Way to go, Taylor, screw things up further. _I bit my lip, hard. I def had to work on my conversation skills. And I had to learn how to just get to the point. Oy, vey.

"It's alright." Luke turned to face me as we walked. "Have you heard about the Huge Christmas Ball?"

"Aww, another party? Why?!" I fake-groaned. "But really, I'm still recovering from the Halloween dance!"

"From what I've heard, the dance will be held the night before winter break, so in like, three weeks."

"Sounds like it could be fun. You called it a Ball. Is it super formal?"

"Yeah, It's pretty formal. Suits and dresses, that kind of thing. But it's Canterwood tradition," Luke explained. "And by that, I mean you have to come." Luke teased.

"Yeah, me in a dress. Like that's ever going to happen!" I was only half-joking. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. "Carly. I'd better get back to Orchard."

"I'll walk you there," Luke offered. I smiled. He was such a good guy. We talked and joked together while we walked, and I couldn't help but wish that things were different. That Luke and I could be more than 'just friends'. But unless something drastic happened, I was stuck here.

...

Back in my toasty warm room, I flipped open my laptop to check my email. I had one unread message.

_Dear riders on the Intermediate, Advanced, and YENT teams, I am pleased to announce that our first show will be in two weeks time. I will discuss this more specifically when I see you for your lessons, but I wanted to give you all a heads-up. Please come see me if you have any questions or concerns. -Mr. Connor._

Our first show! I couldn't wait to hear more details. Glamour and I were more than ready. I jumped up out of my desk chair and dug around in my coat pocket for my phone. Finding it, I texted Sasha. _Did you get Mr. C's email?_ I pressed send. Seconds later came Sasha's reply.

_Yes! So excited!_

_ I was thinking... wanna practice together some time?_

_ Love to! Tmrrw after class?_

_ I'll be there. :) _I closed the conversation and put my phone down on my nightstand. Practicing with Sasha would be great experience. I couldn't wait! Glam and I had to rock this show. We needed to finally prove to people that we belong at Canterwood Crest.


	24. Chapter 24: Crunch Time

Monday afternoon, Sasha and I met up at the stable to practice. We were both eager to get started so we hurried through grooming and tacking the horses. In record time, we were mounted and in the indoor arena.

"I'm _so_ ready to work," Sasha said with a grin. "No slacking when there's a show coming up!"

"Yeah, it's crunch time now," I replied. We split up to do our own warm-ups. Ten minutes later, we both stopped our horses in the middle of the arena.

"I'm thinking flatwork for forty minutes, then we jump," I said.

"Sounds good to me. Want to take turns calling out excercises?" Sasha suggested. I nodded.

"You first," I said. Sasha thought for a moment.

"Large figure-eights through the whole arena. Collected trot through the corners, extended trot across the diagonals." Sasha turned Charm towards the wall and asked him to trot. I eased Glamour a few strides behind him. We trotted sedately around the first corner and turned down the diagonal. While keeping a light feel on Glamour's mouth, I squeezed with my legs and asked Glamour to extend her stride. She listened promptly. I sat for a beat when we crossed the center and resumed posting, on the left diagonal this time. We collected ourselves in the corner without a problem. As Glamour and I started acroos the other diagonal, I squeezed more with my legs to encourage Glamour to extend more. Instead of lengthening her trot, Glamour just sped up, sticking her nose out in front of her.

"Use more hand next time," Sasha suggested, twisting back to look at me. I nodded and increased the pressure with my hands to match the extra leg aids I was giving. Glamour snorted and tucked her head again, extending her stride properly. Sasha and I ran through this excercise for a little while longer.

"How about we work on transitions now?" I called.

"Sure." Sasha pulled Charm to a walk. We spaced ourselves evenly so that we were at opposite ends of the arena.

"Trot," I said loudly. Both horses started trotting as we signaled them. I sat to Glamour's trot and focused on keeping her attention on me.

"Canter," Sasha said. I adjusted my legs and gave a squeeze. Glamour leaped forward. On the other side of the ring, Sasha sat quietly to Charm's canter. I made an effort to sit more still in the saddle, not wanting to look bad compared to Sasha. Not that I could really look _good_ compared to a YENT rider, but still.

"Walk," I called. Glamour made the transition right away, but it was rougher than I would have liked. "Canter." Sasha and I both got the horses cantering nicely.

"Walk," Sasha said, glancing at me. She must have understood that I wanted to work on this. I sat deep in the saddle and pulled back on the reins. This time Glamour came straight back to the walk. I patted her neck quickly. We called out instructions for another twenty minutes before stopping Glamour and Charm.

"Ready to jump?" Sasha asked.

"So ready." I looked at the jumps set up at the far end of the ring. They were all set between three and three-and-a-half feet high. Nothing too scary.

"So... Our course... Hmm. I think we should do the single vertical, tall vertical with a bending line to the oxer, down the long side to the liverpool oxer, then rollback to the skinny vertical. Thoughts?"

"Let's do it. Want to go first, YENT Superstar?" I wanted to watch Sasha ride the course first, so that I could take notes. Seriously.

"Alright," Sasha said. She adjusted her grip on the reins and cantered Charm away. They flew over the first jump without a problem, and made the bending line look effortless. I narrowed my eyes in concentration, watching Sasha's and Charm's every move. They took the red and white oxer. Charm tried to tug the reins out of Sasha's grasp but she quickly corrected him. I noticed Sasha's lower legs slip back over the liverpool jump and bit my lip, wondering if I should critique her. Sasha and Charm finished the course and rode over to me. "So?" She asked. "Whatya think?"

"Charm got a little too excited after the red and white oxer, but you handled him perfectly." I hesitated for a moment. "And... I noticed your lower leg slid back over the liverpool oxer."

"It did? Darn. I didn't even notice!" Sasha seemed disappointed.

"The problem is, you're pinching with your knees, which takes your lower leg off of Charm's sides. This lets them swing backwards, bacause your knees are acting like a pivot. Try keeping more contact with your whole leg," I suggested.

"Huh, you really know what you're doing, don't you?" Sasha said, impressed. I blushed. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Your turn."

"Awesome." I shoved my heels down and shortened my reins. We could do this. No way would we embarrass ourselves in front of Sasha. Deep breath iiiin, and ouuut.

I cantered Glamour in a large circle before pointing her at the first vertical. Glam jumped it like it was nothing, and her long strides carried us to the next jump quickly. The next vertical was three-foot-six, so I let Glamour out a bit, knowing she would need a bit more speed to get over it. _Three, two, one, up!_ Glamour rocked back on her haunches and launched over the blue rails. My eyes were already glued to the next oxer as we cantered the six strides in the bending line. Two more jumps left. I lined Glam up with the center of the red and white oxer and worked on keeping a steady rythme. _One, two, one, two_, I chanted to myself. I saw that we were heading for a long take-off spot and scrambled to make a quick decision. We could either push it for the long distance, or get super collected and add a stride, getting to a deep spot. It took me less than half a second to make up my mind. I sank my weight into my heels, pushed my shoulders back, and eased back on the reins. Glamour's stride became short and bouncy, and we fit in an extra stride. The take-off spot was close to the jump, but I put my leg on and Glamour jumped the oxer cleanly. The decision to slow down payed off, because the rollback to the last vertical was tight. I sat deep and used my hands and legs to shift Glam around the turn. We cleared the jump and trotted back to Sasha and Charm.

"So, Miss YENT rider, how bad was it? Be honest," I said. I dropped the leather reins onto Glamour's neck and rubbed her shoulder. She's done great.

"Oh, my gosh, Taylor! I had no idea you could jump like that!" Sasha exclaimed.

"Really? Are you sure it was _me_ you saw? 'Cause I'm really not that good."

"Um, yeah. You kind of rocked it. You totally made the right decision about which distance to go for at that oxer, and I could tell that Glamour was totally with you the whole time. The only suggestion I have is remember to sit in the saddle. You tend to rise up into a half-seat, and sitting deep will help you keep better contact with Glamour." I nodded in agreement. I'd been trained by a hunter-jumper when I first started riding, and I had an incurable hunt-seat. Satisfied with our rides, Sasha and I started cooling out our horses.

...

After putting Glamour and Charm away, Sasha and I walked back to our dorms together. Our boots crunched across the thin blanket of snow that had been accumilating on the sidewalks. We passed the Sweet Shoppe and I stopped dead, staring into the window. Inside, looking very cozy in a booth together, were Amanda and a boy that I recognised as Luke's roommate. Odd. _I wonder what they're doing in there_, I pondered. I considered bringing this up with Luke, but decided against it. It would probably only upset him again. I continued walking, making an effort to forget about Amanda.

"Do you feel ready for the show yet?" Sasha asked.

"I don't know. I mean, yeah, I guess. But Glam and I still have sooo much work to do!"

"Everybody always has work to do. Don't let that make you nervous." Sasha smiled at me. "From what I saw, you're more than ready."

"Thanks, I really hope we are. And you and Charm look fantastic! There's _no_ way you won't do well at the show." Sasha and I split up to go to our dorms, and I let myself daydream about the upcoming show. I invisioned soaring over jump after jump, and just briefly, the image of a blue ribbon flashed through my head.

...

** Okay, only two more chapters left! Things will be getting good (I hope!) and I have something HUGE planned for the last chapter. ;)**


	25. Chapter 25: Proven

**Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry this is so long! I swear it was only supposed to be semi-long, not this monstrosity!**

...

I awoke with a start. Ohmigosh, today was _it_. Show day. I pressed the off button on my alarm clock, which was chirping angrily from my nightstand. I sat up in bed, wide awake. Butterflies churned in my stomach. My bare feet hit my plush purple rug as I got out of bed, and I shivered involuntarily. Today was going to be _huge_. I changed into my new pair of white breeches, light blue show shirt, and then pulled on a pair of old sweats and a hoodie over top. I couldn't risk getting my show clothes dirty, and besides, it was freezing outside this early. From my closet, I retrieved a medium sized black duffel bag. In it was my removable shirt collar, black leather gloves, belt, hairnet, a bag of elastics and bobbypins, a couple granola bars, and my lime green plastic water bottle, which I had filled last night. Surveying my stuff, I tossed some disposable hand-warmers and my fave lip balm. I checked the time on my phone. 4:25 am. Trailers were leaving at 5:30. I put on my thick winter barn jacket, slid my feet into my Windermere boots, shouldered my bag, and crept out of the room.

As I walked from Orchard Hall to the stables, the butterflies in my stomach turned into what had to be dragons. _Calm down_, I told myself. _It's just a show_. Yeah, just my first show ever with Glamour. Eeep! I quickened my pace and all but ran the rest of the way. The warm barn was crazy busy. Riders bustled around, horses filled every available pair of crossties, and there was random tack lying all over the place. I dumped my stuff in the tack room and made my way to Glamour's stall.

"Morning, Taylor!" Ben called from down the aisle. I waved to him, suddenly too tired to form a reply.

"Glamour?" I said softly. Glam stood in the darkest corner of her stall with one hoof cocked. She blinked at me but didn't move. I looked her over carefully, making sure she was still as clean and shiny as she was when I left her last night. I ran my fingers over her meticulously braided mane. Not a hair out of place, thankfully. Not wanting to waste a second, I grabbed her blue shipping boots from outside her stall and started strapping them onto her legs. When I was finished, I headed back to the tack room to make sure I was organized.

I lifted the lid of my tack trunk and sorted through the contents. Jumping boots, leg wraps, bell boots, clean white saddle pad, fluffy half-pad, grooming stuff, polished tall boots, helmet, hoof polish, and other less important items sat in my (obsessively) organized box. I placed my black show jacket, bridle, girth, breastplate, and English saddle inside, and latched it shut. With a heave, I started rolling it out of the tack room and outside to load into a trailer. Heather caught my attention outside. She stood amid various bags and boxes, and seemed to be ordering people around. Yikes. I'd just stay out of her way...

"Eahh!" I shrieked. I had turned around and come face-to-face with Julia, Heather's other BFF. She smirked at me. "What," I gasped, "do you want?" I put a hand on my chest in an attempt to slow my racing heart.

"Mr. Connor said to tell you he's ready to load your horse. Although why you even bother is completely beyond me-" I cut Julia off before she could finish. I was _so_ not in the mood for trash-talk right now. I walked back to the barn with what little dignity I had left after that scare.

"Ready, mare?" I slipped Glamour's halter over her head and clipped my lead rope onto it before leading her out of her stall. Her eyes and ears took in all the commotion as we walked outside. "Easy," I soothed. We found Mr. Connor, who looked like he'd been awake for hours already.

"Ah, Taylor, Glamour can go in the trailer at the end there," Mr. Connor said, motioning to a huge trailer at the end of a long line. I nodded and led Glamour over.

"Good-morning, Taylor," said Mike, one of the head grooms. "Ready to get Glamour loaded?"

"Morning. And yeah, she's ready to go." I peered into the dark trailer and saw that Charm and Sunstruck, Alison's horse, were already in there. I clicked to Glamour and started up the ramp. Glamour, a total pro at this, walked in calmly. I tied her into the second last available space and kissed her muzzle. "See you in a bit, Glam." Leaving the trailer, I made myself useful by helping to load tack trunks. Once everything was packed, Mr. Connor called everyone together.

"Alright, now that we're all set, we're going to head out. I assume that you are all capable of finding a vehicle to ride in?" We all nodded. "Good. The drive to the show grounds will take half-an-hour. Once we get there, please go straight to the sign-in tent and register. After that, there will be warm-ups and then classes. If you are unsure of when, where, or what your classes are, come find myself or either one of the assistant coaches." Mr. Connor indicated Ms. Seaford and Mr. Tor, the two assistant coaches. "Ready?"

"Ready!" everybody chorused.

"Good. Let's go!" Mr. Connor said with a smile.

"Hey! Want to ride with us?" I turned and saw Sasha standing beside me.

"Sure." I picked up my duffel bag and follwed Sasha to one of the trucks. We climbed in and I smiled at Callie Harper, another YENT rider, Nicole, and Lexi.

"This is going to be great!" Nicole squealed.

"I know, but I'm totally nervous," Lexi replied.

"Same," I said. "But we've all been practicing hard, we're all going to do well." I settled back in my seat and tried to get comfy for what was going to feel like a looong ride.

...

"Taylor!" Somebody shook me. "Taylor, wake up! We're here!" I opened my eyes and squinted in the semi-darkness. Nicole stood over me, grinning. "You slept through the whole trip," she explained.

"Really? Wow." I looked out the window. Outside, horses and riders were milling around. Tacking up, riding to the warm-up rings, and running around in a clear panic. _Well, that's horse shows for you_, I thought. I climbed out of the truck and breathed in the familiar horse show smell. Together, Nicole and I made our way to the registration tent. We signed in and got our numbers. I realized that I hadn't eaten anything this morning, but I didn't care. There was no way that I would be able to stomach anything feeling this nervous! Just then, my phone went off in my bag. I dug around until I found it, and saw that I had three missed alerts. I opened the first.

_Good luck, honey, your mom and I will be at the show as soon as we can!_ Dad. I felt slightly better after reading the text.

_Good luck, Taylor! U are going to rock it! :)_ Carly.

_Just wanted to say good luck at the show today. :)_ This one was from Luke. I smiled, because I guess even if he didn't _like_ like me, at least he seemed to care. I brought myself out of my thoughts and went over to where Glamour was standing. Mike was holding her, Sunstruck, Charm, and a bay horse I didn't recognize. I took Glamour's lead rope from Mike and went to find her temporary stall. The show barn was massive, it had to have over a hundred stalls! It didn't take me long to find the block that was reserved for Canterwood. I led Glamour into her stall and let her get settled for a bit. She was beside Troy's horse, Gavin, and the two horses bumped muzzles through the metal bars of the stalls. Satified that she would be okay alone for a few minutes, I went in search of my tack trunk.

By 6:30, I had gotten all of my stuff set up and fed and watered Glamour. I sat on top of my trunk, which was sitting just outside Glam's stall. I leaned back until my head hit the wall and let out a huge sigh. The anxiety about competing hadn't let up at all, and I was feeling kind of nauseous. I left the stall door open with a rubber and chain stall guard blocking the entrance, so that Glamour could stick her head out. She was handling the whole show situation very well, but I guess that was to be expected from a former Grand Prix horse. Glamour swung her buckskin head towards me, and her big brown eyes seemed to beg for attention. I scooted over on my box so that I was sitting closer to her and rubbed her cheek in slow circles. Glamour leaned into my hand, letting me know I'd found a good spot. Glamour's calmness made me feel slightly less worried. Only slightly. But I let myself relax a bit. After all, this was just one show.

"How's it going over here?" someone asked. I looked up and saw Sasha. She looked calm and collected, like she did a show every weekend. Who knows, maybe at one point she did.

"We're fine. I'm nervous, but Glamour's doing great." Sasha patted Glamour's neck. "When's your first class?" I asked.

"Noon, so I've got a ton of time to kill. When's your's?"

"Ten, I think. We're starting off with 2'9 hunters. Mr. Connor and I both agreed that a low hunter class would be a good way to start us off, because there isn't the pressure of the clock or anything," I explained. But it was still enough to make me uber anxious.

"I'll have to come watch. Text me when you're about to leave." With that, Sasha walked away, throwing an encouraging smile over her shoulder. I pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of my jacket pocket and smoothed it out. I looked over it for the thousandth time. It was my schedule for the day, and I was determined to commit it to memory. I closed my eyes and recited my classes in my head. _Two-nine hunters at ten, hunter under saddle at eleven, three-foot jumpers at twelve-thirty, equitation under saddle at two._ I peeked at the paper and sighed with relief when I saw that I had everything memorized. This was always something I stressed about at shows. I had nightmares of being late for a class, or going to the wrong ring. My old coach used to make fun of me for being the first one at the in-gate, but she understood. Just thinking about Hayley, the coach I'd had for three years, made me feel a little homesick. I'd never done a show without her. I wondered absently if she's be here, at this show.

"Here, I brought you something," Nicole said as she came towards me. She held out a paper bag to me.

"Thanks, Nicole," I said, taking the bag. Inside was a peach muffin and a lidded cup of hot chocolate. "You're the best, this is the best show-day-breakfast ever."

"No problem." Nicole sat on my tack trunk beside me, pulling her curly blond hair over one shoulder. "I get that this is probably pretty nerve-wracking for you. But you shouldn't worry. You and Glamour have worked _so_ hard for this. You're going to do well. Trust me." Nicole smiled at me.

"Thanks, it's really sweet of you to try to make me feel better," I said. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, that's what friends aer for!" Nicole said cheerfully. "I'd better get going, but I'll see you later."

"I'll be watching your dressage class, but if I don't see you beforehand, good-luck!" I called as Nicole left for Wish's stall. I really did appreciate all the supportive pep talks, but did people think that I needed them so desperately? Sure, I was nervous and anxious. But I wasn't about to have a panic attack or anything. Not yet, at least.

...

The morning passed in an odd slow-motion blur. Glamour and I did well in our first class, getting fourth out of, like, thirty in two-nine hunters. Hunter under saddle was not as great. Glamour had a... fit, and basically bucked until we were asked to leave the ring. Now, I was waiting nervously for my jumper class to start. I trotted Glamour around the warm-up ring, keeping one eye on the entrance for Mr. Connor. We weaved around a boy on a tall gray horse when I finally spotted Mr. Connor. He motioned me over.

"How does she feel?" he asked.

"She's calmer than before, but still pretty strung out." I ran my hand over Glamour's sweaty neck and she chomped at the bit.

"Do you know the course?"

"Yup. I walked it earlier and I've been watching other riders go." I knew the complicated course forwards and backwards, but that didn't stop my stomach from turning over.

"Good," Mr. Connor said. "It looks like there's two more riders before you, so let's go wait by the gate." I followed Mr. Connor to where Julia was already waiting. Looked like we were going to be competing against eachother. Fan-_tastic_. Julia glared at me before turning her attention back to the arena. A dark haired girl on a slight chestnut mare was just finishing her course. The pair came barreling towards the last jump, and I was sure that they were going to drag a rail down with the speed they were going at. But they managed to get over the jump cleanly, and finished with a total of four faults. _That's going to be hard to beat_, I thought. I needed to jump clean.

"Next in the ring is number one-twenty-five, Taylor Felix, riding Truly Enchanted. Taylor rides for Canterwood Crest Academy," The announcer boomed.

"Good-luck out there. Remember, take it easy and do what feels right," Mr. Connor said. I smiled weakly and shortened my reins before trotting into the arena. I gulped when I saw the jumps. All fourteen jumps were three feet high, including a scary-looking triple bar. Gulp. The whistle blew and I heeled Glamour forward. This was it. This was our chance to prove ourselves.

Glamour's long strides propelled us quickly to the first jump and we were over it before I even had the chance to think. I kept my gaze trained between Glamour's ears and set us up for the next obstacle. We cantered strongly towards a three-foot high, foot wide oxer. At just the right moment, Glamour launched into the air and over the jump. I slowed her as we swept around the corner of the arena and got lined up with a tricky combo. I signaled Glamour to jump and we flew over the purple and silver rails of the vertical. Before we landed, I saw that it was going to be an awkward distance between the fences; either two really tiny strides or one super long one. _What should we do?_ I thought frantically. Then, Mr. Connor's words echoed in my head. _Do what feel right._ Okay, I could do that. As soon as Glamour's front hooves hit the dirt, I dug my heels into her sides and lengthened my arms, giving her her head. Glamour responded by stretching out and fitting in a huge stride before leaping into the air again. Invigorated by the sudden speed, Glamour pricked her ears up and shot forwards. Determined not to lose control, I sank down in the saddle and tugged on the reins, alternating between the two of them so that I wasn't just pulling with a steady pressure. Glam tossed her head and bucked once before settling down again. But by now we were right in front of the next jump. This one was a fake brick wall. And the bricks looked _very_ convincing. I had to remind myself that it wasn't solid, and that Glamour wouldn't slam into it. _Two, one, up_! I chanted in my head. We flew over two more jumps before finding ourselves heading towards the triple bar. Now might have been a good time to mention that I'd never done a triple before. Ever. Sure, I'd done wide oxers. But having three rails spread out... I pushed down the nerves and concentrated. We would need speed to get over this one. And the perfect take-off spot. I slowed Glamour and collected her canter, giving us more time before the jump. Then, out of nowhere, I softened my hands on the reins and just let Glamour go. She took this opportunity and rocketed towards the fence. Finding the perfect take-off point, she powered over the jump. We stayed suspended in the air for a moment before hitting the ground again. One more jump. Glamour thundered across the ground and I felt like my arms were going to fall off from holding her back so much. I counted down the strides. _Three, two, one, __up__! _On _up_, I was lifted into the air. We landed softly and it took me a minute to realize that we'd gone clean. I looked towards the stands and saw my parents cheering like crazy, then looked towards the gate. Mr. Connor smiled proudly.

"That was exellent, Taylor. I'm really proud of you," Mr. Connor said as I exited the arena.

"Really? Wow, thanks!" I said breathlessly. "It felt so good." I risked a glance at Julia and got a sour glare. Fine, be like that. I didn't know why we were competing in the same class, what with her being advanced and me being intermediate and all, but whatever. I didn't care about winning. So long as I had a good round and my horse and I did our very best, I couldn't ask for more. I walked Glamour in lazy circles while I waited for the rest of the riders to go. So far, it was looking like a two-horse jump-off, between me and some other girl. I was lost in thought so I didn't even realize it when Julia jumped a clear round. Canterwood was doing well so far. In the end, four of us were going to be in the jump-off. I mounted and began trotting Glamour around before we had to jump again. Somebody's tinkling laugh cuaght my attention.

"Oh, that's cute, Felix. You think that an intermediate rider like you has a chance of placing in this class?" Heather smirked at me from the ground. She stood beside Trix, Julia's mare, with her arms crossed. "Well, wanna know a sectret?" Heather leaned forward. "You don't have the slightest chance. Because not only is Julia going to win this class for Canterwood, I bet that you're going to crack under the pressure of the clock and fail _miserably_." I stifled a yawn.

"Really, Heather? I thought you'd realized that you can't faze me with your lame trash-talk. If Julia wins, then great. Good for her. And good for the team. If I lose, then oh, well. I will have gotten out there and tried my best. If my best isn't good enough," I shrugged. Heather rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She stalked away and parked herself at the edge of the arena to watch.

...

I was third in and my stomach seemed to get tighter and tighter the longer I sat and watched the other riders. The two people that went before me flew over the course at a dangerous speed, and both of them had rails down. The pressure was on me to have a clear round.

_Tweeet!_ The starting whistle sounded. I heeled Glamour forward and wasted no time getting to the first fence. We got over the first, second, third, then fourth jumps without a problem we were clean, but slower than everyone else had been. All Julia had to do was go clean faster than me to win. Our last jump was a tall vertical out of the corner, and we could either fly at it out of the turn and risk knocking it, or maintain our steady rythme but risk being too slow to win. I made a snap decision and squeezed Glamour through a gap in two of the jumps, cutting off the corner. We had to canter slowly so as to make it through the small space, but it got us closer to the jump sooner. _Four, three, two, one, up! _Glamour leaped into the air and had to tuck her forlegs in tightly to avoid hitting the lime green and white poles. I braced myself for the sound of hooves hitting wood, and heard a soft brush. I glanced back at the jump as we cantered away and saw the top pole rattle in it's holder. _Stay up, stay up..._ It settled back in it's original position and I gave a huge sigh of relief. The crowd cheered as I left the ring, and it hit me. I was in first. OMG! Sasha and Nicole, who were waiting by the gate, were jumping up and down.

"Taylor! You made it around cleanly! That puts you in first!" Nicole said excitedly.

"Yeah, but Julia still has to go," I hopped down from Glamour's back and hugged her neck tightly. "You were _amazing_," I murmered. I stood with Sasha and Nicole and watched anxiously as Julia jumped her course. She rode fast, faster than me. And she used my short-cut between the jumps on her way to the last fence. I peeked at the clock and wished that I hadn't; She was a full three seconds faster than me. Julia pushed Trix even faster and the little mare threw herself at the last jump. I held my breath. They had been going too fast, and Trix's jump was flat. Her knees knocked the top rail out of it's holder and it thudded to the ground. It took a moment for my mind to register what had happened. Oh. My. Gosh. I had won. Glamour and I had _won_. What?!

"OMG, Taylor!" Sasha squealed. She grabbed my arm.

"You did it!" Nicole cheered. I was probably grinning like an idiot.

"I actually won. Glamour, we did it!" I hugged Glamour fiercely. "I'm so, so proud of you," I said into her neck.

"Congratulations, Taylor," Mr. Connor said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You rode very well today and have proved that you deserve your spot on the team." I felt tears well up in my eyes. His words meant so much to me. I'd been working nonstop to prove that I belonged on Canterwood's prestigious riding team. And my efforts were finally paying off. I turned around when I heard a dramatic sigh behind me.

"Congrats, Felix. You got lucky," Heather said somewhat grudgingly. I beamed at her.

"Thank you, Heather," I said brightly. Nothing could ruin this moment for me. I collected my blue ribbon from the judge and stared at it in awe. It was so going to be framed. AS the afternoon wore on, I finally felt the reality of the events sink in. I had proven to everyone that Glamour and I have what it takes to make it. About time, too.


	26. Chapter 26: A Night To Remember

"Taylor?" Something hit my head. "Tay!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Carly. Lost in my daydreams," I said sheepishly, rubbing my head. The pillow projectile that Carly had launched at me now sat at the foot of my bed.

"When are you going to get ready? Carly asked. Oh, right. Tonight was the Christmas Ball. And I was being forced to go. Bleh.

"I don't know. Remind me again; why do I have to go?" I wasn't really in the mood for a huge social event. Then again, I never was.

"You have to come because you know that I won't have as much fun without you," Carly stated for the hundredth time. "And besides, you know you'll regret not going." She opened her closet door and pawed through the contents. "Why do we always have to have the same arguement about parties?" Carly huffed.

"Because you keep making me go," I teased, sticking my tonue out at her as I got up to go to the bathroom. "I'll be out of the shower in ten minutes." I locked myself in the bathroom and did my best to think positively about tonight. I did always enjoy parting with my friends. It was just hard for me to actually get out there. I ran the hot water and stripped down. The steamy shower helped to clear my thoughts, and by the time I emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a fluffy blue towel, I was feeling quite optomistic. I almost did a double-take when I got a look at Carly. She turned and smiled.

"You like?" She asked, smoothing her hands over her party dress. It was stunning. It was a strapless dress, burgandy at the bottom, with a sheer material layered over it that had delicate black stitching. The bodice was the same deep wine colour, with black lace overtop. The chest was black and slightly ruffley. It hit just above Carly's knees and the dark colours complimented her fair hair.

"Wow, it's so gorgeous, Carly!" I exclaimed. She beamed at me.

"Thanks. Now let's get you into your dress!" Carly said excitedly. I tried to supress a groan. I hated wearing dresses. I padded across the room to my closet and pulled the dress out.

"Turn around, and don't look until I saw so. I don't want to ruin the surprise!" I said sternly. Carly obediently turned away and covered her eyes with her hands. Satisfied, I shimmied into the dress and zipped it up. _Please look okay_, I prayed silently. I stood in front of the mirror and slowly raised my eyes. Woah. I totally wasn't expecting what I saw. I wore a deep midnight blue strapless dress that came up to my knees. The material reflected back the light from the room softly, seeming to shimmer as I moved. It had an off-white strip of material wrapped around the ribs, which accentuated my narrow hips. But in an almost flattering kind of way. It was very simple, but I'd never felt this pretty in a dress before.

"OMG Taylor you look gorgeous!"

"Carly! I told you not to look!" Carly was staring at me with wide eyes. I suddenly felt verrry self-concious. "Do you really think it looks good?" I asked tentatively. Carly nodded so vigorously I thought her head might fly off.

"You look amazing, seriously. Even with your damp, tangled hair," Carly added teasingly. I laughed. "Dry your hair, then I'll help you curl it." I spent ten minutes in the bathroom with the blowdrier pointed at my head. My thick hair took _forever_ to dry properly. When I was finished, I went over to where Carly was just finishing curling her own blond hair. It hung in neat, orderly curls that brushed just past her shoulders.

"Your hair looks great," I said, admiring the way the blond strands seemed to capture the light.

"Thanks!" Carly unplugged the curling iron she had been using in favour of a bigger one. "Sit," she instructed. I sat in her desk chair. While the iron heated up, Carly clipped back sections of my hair. We chatted excitedly as she expertly curled my hair.

"Geez, Carly. You should be charging me for this," I said as I looked at my hair in the mirror. Big, loose curls cascaded down my back and over my shoulders. Carly was _good_. I'd never been able to make my hair look quite so good.

"I know, but you get the roommate discount," Carly said with a wink. I laughed. We took turns doing eachother's make-up, and by the time we were done, it was time to go.

I did a last-minute check in the mirror. Carly had dusted my eye lids with a shimmery champaign-coloured eyeshadow and winged black eyeliner completed the look. Rosy blush gave me a healthy glow, and I had dark pink gloss on my lips. I slipped my feet into my flat black ankle boots and pulled on my thick wool coat. A deep breath, and I was out the door.

...

I tried—and failed—to keep my mouth from gaping open when Carly and I walked into Canterwood's ballroom. The Halloween dance had _nothing_ on this. The entire thing looked exactly like I figured a "ball" would. A very refined looking DJ was set up in one corner, a bunch of tables held fancy food, and everyone was dressed for the occasion. Festive decorations were placed around the room, including a _huge_ christmas tree that shone and sparkled. I gulped as we made our way through the room. I was so bad at this socializing thing! I'd probably end up alone in a corner somewhere before the night was over. Carly led me over to where Nicole and Lexi were standing.

"Can I leave you here? You won't... wander off or anything?" Carly asked with mock concern. I rolled my eyes.

"Go. Have your fun. I'll text you if I get lost," I said. Carly grinned and skipped away. I turned back to my other friends and let myself become immersed in horse-related conversation—my favourite kind. We talked about lessons for a while before moving on to rider gossip. Lexi told us about a ninth grader who was apparently getting a brand new jumper.

"From what I heard," Lexi said, "The horse she's buying is, like, ninety thousand dollars!" I sucked in a breath.

"Wow, that's a lot. He must be some uber high-level warmblood imported from Europe," I decided.

"I can't imagine being able to afford a horse like that," Nicole added whistfully. "Not that I would trade Wish for anything," she amended quickly.

"But really, what are the chances that he'll be some automatic push-button horse?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he turned out to be too much horse for the girl to handle," I said. I felt sort of bad for saying that, though, because I'm sure that people had said that about me and Glamour at one point. Maybe they still thought that. "It definitely wouldn't be good for her to be overwhelmed." Lexi and Nicole nodded.

"Now I can't wait to see this new horse!" Nicole said excitedly.

"If there even is going to be a new horse!" I elbowed Nicole lightly. "See what gossip gets you? High expectations from nothing." I was about to laugh when I saw a weird look on Lexi's face. Lexi twirled her dark brown hair around her index finger nervously, staring at something over my shoulder. I closed my eyes and turned around, already knowing what—or who, I guess—I would see.

"Hey, Taylor," Luke said. He smiled at my friends.

"Hi, Luke," I sighed. "Hi, Amanda." Luke looked super adorable in black skinny jeans, a white v-neck shirt, a black blazer, and his trademark black sneakers. Amanda, looked—as always—annoyingly perfect. Gosh, I was really starting to hate her. She wore a cherry red halter dress that clung close to her body and semi-high heels. I felt my face turn pink as I took note of their arms around eachother. I was just about to try to make conversation when Amanda's head snapped up.

"One of my friends wants me over there," she said, nodding off to the side. "I'll catch you guys later?" The faux-cheeriness in her voice made me want to gag.

"Alright. I'll come find you in a bit," Luke said to Amanda. "We still need to dance." Amanda grinned, flashing her dimples, and sauntered off. I barely noticed when Nicole and Lexi crept away, too. When I finally realized we were alone, I felt my blush deepen. Luke didn't notice. He was gazing longingly after Amanda. I suddenly wanted to slap him sharply across the face. I had my arm back, winding up to hit him, when he turned back towards me. I faked scratching my head. How lame. "So, Felix, no date?" Luke asked with a teasing smile.

"As if," I snorted. "I tend to scare most boys away."

"Hmm, wonder why?" Luke pretended to think. "Okay, okay, I take that back!" He exclaimed when he saw my expression. We laughed. After that, we fell into easy conversation, bouncing between different topics. I didn't even realize as the time slipped away.

...

I walked through the crowded room, feeling light and happy after spending time with Luke. Despite some of the things he had said. I scanned around, looking for Carly. I spotted her by the food tables.

"There you are," Carly sais as I approached. "I was worried I'd have to come look for you."

"Nah, I was just chatting with Luke." I grabbed an adorable snowman-shaped sugar cookie and started nibbling it. Mmmm. I was careful to focus my thoughts on the happy feeling, not wanting to dwell on the more upsetting part of my conversation with Luke.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Taylor?" Carly's voice was full of concern. I met her gaze and was taken aback by the sad look in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"You spend time with Luke, even though it kills you to see him with Amanda." Carly knew me too well. "Seriously, I'm not saying 'move on' or anything like that, but you shouldn't torture yourself like this."

"He told me that he... might love her," I whispered softly. As the words left my mouth, I felt my heart contract. It squeezed painfully in my chest. When Luke had told me that, I could feel a small part of me dying. But I would never admit it.

"Oh, Taylor," Carly said sadly. From one moment to the next, she shifted her mood back to her usual self. "Hey, no more moping. This is a party! Let's go have _fun_."

"Fun? What is that?" I joked. Carly rolled her eyes at me and grabbed my hand, dragging me into the thick of the party.

We hurried through the crowd, giggling, when something caught my eye that took my breath away: Amanda. Kissing a guy that I recognized as Luke's roommate. The two of them were locked in each other's arms, apparently oblivious to the fact that people were staring. And one of those people was Luke. He stood about ten feet away from me, staring with wide eyes as his _girlfriend_ made out with his _roommate_. I could _not_ believe that girl. By now, people were pointing and whispering. Murmers of "cheating", "can you believe it?", and several rude names floated through the air. It seemed like everybody within a five meter radius was watching this little spectacle. Eventually, Amanda and the other boy noticed their surrounding. Luke had walked up to them and stared in disbelief.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed. "Amanda? Matt? What are you doing?!" Amanda sputtered, trying to straighten her dress, and blushing like crazy. But she didn't offer up an explanation. Neither did Matt, the roommate. Luke glared at the two of them. "You know what, Amanda? We're _done_. I thought you were _different_. I ignored all the things that people said about you. I defended you when people suggested you were anything but perfect. But it seems like I was mistaken." Amanda opened her mouth to respond, but the hurt look on Luke's face silenced her. Luke spun around and stormed out of the ballroom. The second he was out, the gossip exploded. Woah. The entire moment had lasted only a few minutes, but it had been _intense_. Random, fast drama always confused me.

"I have to go. I need to make sure he's alright," I said to Carly. She nodded. I gave Amanda a furious look before I ran outside after Luke, and found him sitting on the steps outside the door. He had his head in his hands. I'd never seem him look so miserable. I went over and sat beside him, shrugging on my coat. It was freezing outside.

"You were right, Taylor," Luke said quietly. "And I was an idiot."

"No! _No_. Amanda is the idiot. I just can't believe that she's do something like that!" I fumed. "You did nothing wrong, Luke. You're the victim here."

"But I shoulden't have made such a scene in there."

"Stop, before I shove you in a snowbank," I said, holding up a hand. "You. Have. Done. Nothing. Wrong." I let out a sigh and watched as the white puff of air in front of me floated away. Little cotton-fluffs of snow fell softly through the still air. "So, what do you want to do now?" I asked. "Go back to the party? Or just go back to your room?"

"I can't go back in there. No way. But if I go back to my room, I'll risk seeing Matt, and I don't think I can deal with that right now." Luke groaned. He ran his hands through his thick dark hair and looked at me sideways. "What do I do, Tay?" Luke asked softly. I thought for a moment.

"Why don't we see if I can smuggle you into Orchard?" I suggested. "You can stay in the common room until we get things figured out."

"Really?" Luke looked surprised by my offer. "Sure. Do you mind if I just run by my dorm quick? Just so I can change into something drier." He wasn't wearing a jacket, and his shirt was starting to soak with melting snowflakes.

"Def. Let's go." I stood up and offered my hand to Luke. He took it with a smile and I helped him up. Together, we walked through the snow towards Luke's dorm.

...

Luke and I walked through the doors of Orchard, and I stopped abruptly, turning to face Luke. "Stay here. I've got to go plead your case to Stephanie." I made my way towards the dorm advisor's office. "Staaay," I said , pointing my finger at Luke sternly. Luke stood in the corner obediently. Reciting what I was going to say in my head, I knocked on Stephanie's door.

"Taylor!" Steph said, clearly surprised to see me. "What are you doing back so early?"

"Well, I have a bit of a... situation on my hands. And I kind of need a favour from you..."

"I'm listening," Stephanie said, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Okay, so, my friend is going through something right now and needs a safe place to get collected and think. Just for a bit. I promise, he's a very nice guy and-"

"Taylor! You're asking me if you can have a boy in the dorm?!" Stephanie exclaimed, eyes wide. I cringed.

"Just for a bit. In the common room, since everybody else is still out," I explained. "Please, Steph." I gave my best pleading expression and puppy-dog eyes. It felt like overkill, but it worked.

"Alright, fine. But only until eleven at the latest," Steph agreed. "I'm trusting you, Taylor."

"Thanks, Steph! You're the best!" I ran back to Luke. He was waiting patiently right where I'd left him. "My dorm monitor said you can stay." Luke sighed with relief. I could tell that he was a lot more stressed than he let on. I led Luke to the cozy common room. The electric fireplace was blazing, and filled the room with warmth. "I'll be right back," I said as I walked out of the room. Luke nodded, settling into the super comfy couch. I raced upstairs to my room to get changed.

Once in my room, I changed quickly out of my dress and pulled on a pair of purple plaid pajama pants, fluffy lavender coloured socks, a thick grey hoodie, and my fave knit grey Ugg boots. After a moment of hesitation, I scrubbed the make-up off my face. After all, Luke didn't care how I looked. I pulled my hair up into a high messy bun as I hurried back to the common room.

I paused halfway through the door, catching myself on the doorframe. Luke looked so broken up. He stared blindly in front of him, with sad eyes and slumped shoulders. I started wracking my brain for a way to cheer him up. I made my way over to the couch and sat beside Luke without a word. _Hmmm, what to do... Aha!_ I sprang up. "Luke? I'm going to make some hot chocolate. Do you want some?" I asked tentatively.

"Sure, thanks," was his simple, dead reply. I nodded once and walked over to the kitchen area, which was seperated from the rest of the room by a granite-topped peninsula. I grabbed milk from the fridge and a tin of dark chocolate cocoa. Now the mugs... I reached up and opened the top cupboard where the mugs were kept. Peering up, I realized that the mugs were just out of my reach. Darn my girly height. I stood on my tiptoes and stretched as much as I could. My fingers brushed the cool ceramic, but I couldn't get a grip on anything. Just as I was about to climb onto the counter, I felt someone behind me. I gasped slightly as I felt a lean body press against my back. Luke's arm reached up and around me, with his other arm on the other side of me braced against the counter, and grabbed the mugs from the cupboard with ease. He set them onto the counter and I turned around to face him. Standing like this, our faces were only a few inches apart. Luke grinned at me.

"Th-thanks," I stammered. I couldn't think clearly, not when I was standing so close to Luke. He took a step back and leaned against the counter.

"No problem." The easy smile stayed on his face. "It must be a handicap, being short."

"I am not short!" I retorted. Luke looked me up and down. I blushed like an idiot. I really wasn't short, and besides, Luke stood only a few inches taller than my own five-foot-five frame. Nothing to brag about. I refocused my attention on the hot chocolate. We waited in comfortable silence while the milk heated up in the microwave. I spooned out a generous amount of powder into each mug and stirred them carefully; I had a habit of spilling hot liquids all over me. Still not meeting Luke's gaze, I gently pushed his hot chocolate across the counter to him.

"This seems fitting, doesn't it?" Luke asked. I glanced up, confused. "You know, hot chocolate is sort of... our thing." That sent tingles shooting up my spine. _Our thing_. Could we, two platonic friends, have a _thing_? It seemed innocent enough. Plus, I kind of loved how it sounded.

"Yeah, I guess so." We wandered back over to the couch. I sat down on the plush seat and curled my legs under me. Gripping my drink between both my hands, I studied Luke out of the corner of my eye. I saw again the incredibly cute guy, the Logan Lerman look-alike, with shaggy chocolate brown hair and baby blue eyes, that I'd first fallen for. I saw the funny, sensitive, caring boy that had become one of my best friends. I saw... him looking right at me, an amused expression on his face.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," I replied hurriedly. The blush returned, fiercer this time. This made Luke smile even more. At least he didn't seem so upset anymore.

"Dork," Luke said under his breath.

"Excuse me?!" I half-shouted, feigning hurt feelings. "Did you just call me a _dork_?" I pretend-huffed. "Rude. I suppose you'll also call me something like, oh, I don't know, shy? Or something else that's also totally not true?" I said sarcastically. I rolled my green eyes.

"I don't know, I think the the dorkiness is cute on you." My heart practically fell out of my chest. Luke had just called me _cute_. OMG. I tried not to show the racing thoughts that were flashing through my mind. Luke sighed, sounding sad again. "You're a great friend, Taylor. For everything. What happened at the dance... it was all so fast. My mind is still reeling. But you seem so calm about it. I guess you kind of always saw something like this coming, huh? And you tried to warn me. Only I wouldn't listen." I let Luke ramble on, letting him figure out where his thoughts and emotions were at. The poor guy had just found out his girlfriend was cheating on him. I couldn't believe how calm _he_ was about all of this. Luke seemed to be talking more to himself than me, at this point. "What am I going to do? Amanda and I are over. I'm done with her. But how am I going to deal with Matt? We live together! This is such a mess." Luke put his head in his hands again. I put my mug of cocoa down on the coffee table in front of us and scooted closer to Luke. I debated for a moment whether or not it would be a good idea to touch him, and ended up laying a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay to be sad, angry, or confused about how you feel. You don't have to figure anything out right this moment." I dropped my hand when Luke turned his head to look at me. Our eyes met, and I felt myself drowning in the blue depths of his eyes.

"I was confused. But now..." Luke trailed off. He tried again. "I don't really know how I'm feeling about everything else. But I do know one thing." Luke's eyes searched my face. "Taylor, right from the beginning I felt a connection with you. You're one of my best friends. Possibly even my closest friend, period. I would be so lost without you. And I'm not even just talking about tonight. You just... brighten my day." I stopped breathing. "I think... I think I like you. A lot. More than I should, probably," Luke admitted. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up in a small smile. It grew until I was grinning at Luke. He looked worried, as if what he'd just revealed had scared me, or offended me or something else equally ridiculous.

I'd always been quiet, socially awkward, and tongue-tied around people. But for once in my life, I knew exactly what I wanted to say. "I'm glad. Really, _really_ glad. Because I like you a lot, Luke," I whispered. "I've always liked you." I stared down at my lap, suddenly embarrassed. "I just always knew that you'd never go for a girl like me."

"A girl like what? Perfect?" Luke sounded incredulous.

"I'm _nowhere_ near perfect."

"Well, I think you might just be perfect for me."

~_Fini~_

...

**Sooo? What do you think? This is it! My story is finished! Please let me know what you think! I'll probably be cleaning things up a bit, so I'm sorry if you see a bunch or random chapter updates. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and my story from the beginning! I love you all!**

**One last thing... I've been toying with the idea of a sequel... Thoughts?**

**Again, thank you so much for reading my story!**

**~mollydolly360**


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